In the Rough
by YonderBailey
Summary: A Hikari-POV look at life, love, friendship, and successful oatmeal recipes. AU. Takari-Daiken-Taito. CURRENTLY BEING REWRITTEN BECAUSE I LOVE YOU GUYS!
1. When You Give a Matt a Chocolate

**It's been a long time since I first created this fanfiction, waaaayyy back in my first years as a writer. I want to thank everyone for their support, and if you're new to the story, I sure hope you enjoy it. :3 **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Digimon franchise, and therefore gain no monetary profit from the writing of this fanfiction.**

--

In the Rough

Chapter One: _If You Give a Matt a Chocolate…_

--

Sometimes I wonder why I can't have a normal life. Then, of course, I just look back on the good times and I see why.

Normality is overrated.

I suppose I'll begin this offbeat tale with an introduction. My name is Yagami Hikari. I am almost sixteen years old, and I live in Hightenview Terrace, Odaiba, Japan. I like to call myself 'petite', but that is translated as 'scrawny and flat as roadkill'. Short brown hair, brown eyes… just like a lot of other girls at my high school, but you can tell me apart easily.

"Hey, it's the fag's sister."

Yes, that's me. Unfortunately, the school had fallen greatly since my older brother went to college. He practically _ruled _the place with his boyfriend and other friends. Nowadays, the new little snots running around identify me as "the _Imagay _girl." When Taichi attended, he was proud of his title. He would even sometimes sign his name as "Imagay Ihciat." (Other signatures included "Captain Wow", "The Red Ranger", and "Utility Hair.")

I'm on a completely different end of the social latter than Taichi was… We have very different personalities. I suppose that's a bit of an understatement, actually. It's sometimes extremely difficult to see how we could possibly be blood relations.

I'm the type that yelps when someone pokes me with a pencil, and blushes when anybody, even a relative, compliments me with some nonsense like, "Oh, Hikari-chan, you have such cute freckles,"

I hate my freckles. Taichi didn't have freckles. But if he had wanted some, he probably would've drawn them himself with a red permanent marker, and then braided his hair and worn a plaid dress to school the next day.

I wear jeans and a tee shirt… every day. Actually, one day, I wore a denim skirt, but it got so many stares (Hikari's a _girl?_), that I immediately ditched it the next evening.

So that's me. Don't get me wrong; I have friends. My best and only female friend is Inoue Miyako, but she's a senior, so we don't see each other much during school. I normally hang out with Motomiya Daisuke, Takaishi Takeru, and Ichijouji Ken. Daisuke used to have a crush on me, but then, out of the blue, he decided he liked Takeru, and before any of us had a chance to comprehend this, he had moved on to a girl named Yukiko, then to a guy named Toshi. Daisuke says it's all the same to him, and he doesn't label people as 'gay' or 'straight'… of course, this is coming from the school's (cheerleader's words, not mine) "Bisexual Man-Whore".

I feel so bad for Ken. He's completely in love with Daisuke, but the little idiot is more oblivious than a rock buried under four feet of snow.

As for Takeru, he claims to be straight as a line. I'm really unsure of my feelings towards him… I've known Takeru since I was in diapers. You see, Takeru is the younger brother of Yamato, Taichi's boyfriend. Their parents are divorced, so, oddly enough, I see Yamato more often than Takeru does.

I love Yamato to death. Of course, _no one _loves him as much as Taichi does. I swear either one of those guys would leap off of a cliff for the other one. They've been together for seven years now, but they've known each other since they were five.

The two of them are the only proof I need that true love does indeed exist.

I guess I should get on with the darn story already…

--

I woke up this morning with a headache. This isn't so rare for me, as I am a growing girl with hormones and all that junk, but this headache _really hurt._

I took a painkiller and got on with my life, yanking on jeans and a dark brown sweater, then running down the stairs to where my mother was fixing breakfast.

Basically, that means she was pouring a packet of instant oatmeal into hot water.

"Morning, Mom," I mumbled, sitting down at the table and propping my chin up on my hands. A bit of hair fell in my eyes, since I hadn't bothered with my usual barrettes that morning.

"Good morning, Kari," she said with a smile, her back still to me.

"Would you like me to make breakfast this morning?" I offered gently, knowing that my mother had both very sensitive feelings and absolutely no business being in the kitchen.

"Oh…" She paused, turning to look at me with soft brown eyes, identical to my own. "It's alright, honey, I've got it under control."

"No, really," I insisted for both our sakes, "I'd love to."

"Well, okay, I suppose..."

I hopped up and took the sloppily-prepared bowl of artificial oats away from her, setting it aside and pulling out a new bowl. I took the real oats from the cupboard (they were in a Ziploc baggie, and I seriously doubted they had seen the light of day in at least three years) and emptied them into the bowl, rummaging through the spice cabinet.

_Okay, Yamato always filled a spoon with part-cinnamon, part-nutmeg… wait… what the heck is nutmeg again…? _

I'm such a liar; I've never prepared homemade oatmeal in my life. The only reason I was attempting it was because I had seen Yamato do it thousands of times.

"Um… Aha!" I pulled the tiny jars of red-brown and tawny powder, pouring a bit of each into a tablespoon and dumping the mixture into the oats.

_Ha, I can do this, _I thought triumphantly, stirring it around with a wooden spoon while looking for the sifted granola I knew we had somewhere (Taichi used to like to pour chocolate sauce over it and eat it with his hands… yeah…)

I successfully completed the seemingly-easy recipe and poured milk over it, setting the liquid mess in a pot over the stove and leaning back to admire my handiwork.

"Wow, Hikari," my mom said, impressed as she looked up from her magazine. "I didn't know you could cook."

"Matt showed me how to do this. It's not that hard at all…"

My mom smiled brightly. "Oh, speaking of Yamato-kun, he invited us over for dinner tonight! Isn't that sweet?"

"He's back from the tour already?" I asked, turning away from the bubbling oatmeal. (Was it supposed to be doing that? It never bubbled when Matt made oatmeal…)

"Yes, the poor dear… He got in a nasty fight with a… what are you kids calling them these days? A _hater… _He apparently has a 'tiny black eye and an insignificantly bruised lip,' but knowing Yamato-kun, that could be anywhere from the truth to an amputated limb. Anyway, the big concert in Tokyo was cancelled, and he's back home now."

I sighed, shaking my head. Yamato had such an ego, just as big as Taichi's, if not bigger. If an angry Wolves-hater got into a brawl with him, I knew Yamato would never admit it lightly.

Yamato lives in downtown Odaiba, in a really nice, two-story town home. Really, it's technically his _and _Taichi's place… but Taichi's currently attending the one of the top soccer universities in the USA, New York State West, and can only visit during Christmas. I feel so horrible for Yamato sometimes. Taichi's been there for nearly two years, and Matt misses him more and more every day.

I suddenly was torn away from my reminiscing as something scorching-hot splashed my hand. I yelped, flipping back around to see that my oatmeal was boiling over, coating the stove in a sticky mess.

My mom grabbed the fire extinguisher, crying for me to stand back. I yelled for her to stop, but being my mom, that only spurred her to blast the stove (and me) with foam.

I stood there, sputtering, as Mom asked me if I was alright.

"Yeah," I muttered, wiping the stuff from my eyes. "But I have a feeling I'm going to be late for school."

--

I hate it when I'm right.

I walked into my first period, English, in a different yet nearly identical set of clothes, and collapsed into my seat in the back. My hair was still damp from my hasty shower, and I had tied it back in a short ponytail.

Haruka-sensei narrowed her eyes at me.

"Yagami, what is the excuse for your tardiness?"

_Oh, I set my oatmeal on fire and my mother, being the genius that she is, suffocated me with a fire extinguisher._

I didn't say that, of course. I assumed her response would've been something like, 'Nice try, but your brother wore that one out three years ago.'

"I have no excuse, Haruka-sensei," I mumbled respectfully.

"Detention after school, Yagami. One hour."

I nodded mournfully. Across the room, I noticed Daisuke scribbling on a piece of notebook paper, his dark eyes shining.

Sure enough, a moment later, the crumpled parchment hit me in the shoulder and landed on the floor. I bent over to pick it up, scanning over it. It was nearly illegible to the untrained eye, of course, but I was so used to Daisuke's scrawl that I managed.

_hey, kari, wutz up? u look annoyed and i havent even done anything yet!_

I couldn't help but smile as I jotted my answer down.

_A little incident this morning concerning overcooked hot cereal; nothing to worry about._

I lightly tossed the note back at him. A split second later, it was lobbed at my head. My slow reflexes didn't really help.

It audibly pinged off of my skull, alerting the teacher and (the awake) half of the class.

Haruka-sensei turned away from the board, glaring.

"Yagami, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said quickly, hiding the note. The teacher hated notes. I waited until she returned to her lesson before I unfolded the message in my lap.

_hot cereal? do tell, do tell._

I sighed, making a motion with my hand we had designed to translate as _"__I'll talk to you about it after class; now shut the hell up and don't get me in trouble_._"_

Daisuke nodded, his soft, spiky hair moving as he did.

After we were assigned our homework for the night, the bell rang and I met Daisuke in the hallway.

"I tried making breakfast this morning, using a recipe Yamato always used," I told him as we walked together, Daisuke carrying my small amount of stuff with his own. (He may be a pervert, but Daisuke is also a gentleman under the exterior). "But I botched it. The result was disastrous."

He blinked his round eyes at me. I've often said before that Daisuke has very nice eyes: big and dark chocolate-ish brown. It's no wonder half the girls (and guys) in school are falling all over him.

"What an adventure," he said wistfully, making me giggle. "I sometimes wish I was a Yagami. The most exciting thing that ever happens in the Motomiya household is when Jun pretends that she's about to hang herself because another boyfriend has turned homosexual."

My giggle exploded into laughter. Daisuke's older sister always is able to crack me up; she's a sweet girl, really, but she drives guys away like the plague.

He continued as we neared our second period, History, "When I told her maybe she should consider switching teams, she attacked me with a pair of scissors. That girl is _crazy."_

I laughed one more time before we entered the classroom. "How are her Veterinary classes going?"

"Oh, she's doing real well. I think it's because dogs and cats like her more than boys do."

We sat down near Takeru, who was reading a book silently.

"Good morning Kari, Dai," he greeted us both while not taking his eyes off the pages.

"Good morning, starshine," Daisuke returned, propping his clunky tennis shoes up on the shoulders of the girl in front of him, who turned around to say something, but when she realized who it was, only smiled and blushed, turning back around.

"Hi, 'Keru," I chirped, pulling out my notes I had been taking the previous day. "How goes life?"

"Life goes swell," he mumbled, licking a finger and turning the page. "Did Matt ask you guys over for dinner yet?"

"Yeah," I said. "Are you going to be there too?"

"Course," he responded, half-into the conversation yet somehow able to reply intelligently. "I'm supposed to be keeping him away from an emotional breakdown."

"What?" I asked, startled.

"You haven't heard?" He finally looked up from his book, pale eyebrows raised. "Matt's ring fell off when he was in that fistfight. He and the band practically turned the whole stadium upside-down looking for it, but they couldn't find it. Yamato's completely miserable."

I felt my heart tighten. I couldn't even imagine what Yamato had to be feeling. Taichi gave him the ring on their fifth anniversary; he had been saving up for it all year. It even had a little sapphire on it, to match Matt's eyes, Taichi had told him.

"Poor Yamato," I whispered. "And there's absolutely no way to get it back?"

"Kari, it was a sapphire and white gold ring. The whole place was filled with drunken idiots; do you think anyone there would've turned it into the Lost and Found?"

"No…" I trailed off, feeling my heart go out to Matt. "But that's so unfair."

"I know," he sighed, putting his book away. "Even when I talked to him on the phone, it sounded like he was trying to keep from crying."

Ishida Yamato _never _cried, and so I felt even worse.

"Oh, gosh," was all I was able to say. We quieted down as the teacher entered, but I couldn't help but try and think of a way to cheer Matt up…

Deep down, though, I knew the only person in the world able to do that was Taichi.

--

My lunch that day was spaghetti, as was everybody else's. Our school was trying to keep it quiet, but we all were aware of the fact that we were dead broke. For goodness' sakes, we were playing volleyball and basketball using _soccer _balls!

"Hi, guys!" Miyako said brightly, sitting across from Takeru and me and pushing her long, violet hair away from her face.

"Hey, Miyako," Takeru and I said simultaneously as Daisuke joined us with his own Styrofoam tray, followed by Hida Iori, our freshman friend.

Iori may be the calmest, most collected kid I know. He's only fourteen, but he has more emotional maturity in his left pinky finger than the rest of us have combined. He currently sat, eating his food slowly while staring at each bite with wide, calculating green eyes.

"I talked to Koushiro-san today", he told us, referring to the genius we all have the honor of knowing. "He might be transferring to a computer technology school in a different city. He says that the professors at his current school don't have material advanced enough for someone like him to continue learning."

There was a quiet chuckle, though I couldn't tell who exactly it came from. We talked a bit more, before Daisuke noticed something.

"Where's Ken?" He asked suspiciously.

"I don't know," Miyako answered. She was tying her hair back to keep it out of her food, as it was rumored to be corrosive to the delicate follicles.

"Didn't anyone see him in the hallway?" Daisuke demanded.

I saw the familiar, skinny form of our quiet friend entering the cafeteria, dressed in khakis and a dark blue sweater. I was about to speak up, when Ken raised a finger to his lips, signaling for me to be quiet. I nodded. Takeru was once again engrossed in his novel, so he didn't even notice Ken sneaking up.

"I'm gonna go find him," Daisuke announced resolutely. "Something may be wrong, or…"  
He stopped, as Ken placed two pale hands over his eyes.

"Guess who," the bluenette laughed, and I could see his violet eyes filled with affection for Daisuke's concern.

"Hmm," Daisuke pretended to consider it, tapping a finger to his chin in thought. "Is that you, God?"

"Pretty close!" Ken chuckled, releasing Daisuke. I hoped I was the only one to notice the way Ken's fingers seemed to trail down Daisuke's face before dropping to his own sides. Of course, in his oblivious Daisuke-ness, the redhead didn't even blink, and sat back down in-between Ken and Miyako, grinning toothily at his best friend.

"Where were you, man?" Daisuke asked, "You had me worried sick! You could've been dying in some dirty restroom stall, or stuck in a storm drain, or mauled by a polar bear!"

"Polar… bear…" Ken repeated slowly, highly amused.

"Yes, a polar bear, and don't laugh! This is serious! You are _grounded!"_

Ken laughed again. It was good to see him so happy. "Yes, Mommy."

Our lunch continued as usual, before yet another shrill bell sounded, and we went to dump our trays haphazardly into the recycling bin. I happened to know that they would be rinsed off and used again the next day, despite being made of Styrofoam…

My next period was Health, which I had with Ken, Dai, and Takeru. I waved goodbye to Iori and Miyako and continued on to my stupid sophomore lessons.

In Health, our teacher sits us in alphabetical order. This, of course, meant that I sat in the back corner, Takeru one row in front of me, Daisuke in the middle, and Ken a little in front of him.

Tanaka-sensei, our young, (usually) bubbly teacher, clapped her hands together and said in her cheery voice, "Today, boys and girls, we're going to begin a new long-term project!"

There were a few weak, entirely sarcastic cheers. There was to be no negativity in Health class or we would have our arms and legs broken, so said Tanaka-sensei, the picture in the dictionary next to "bipolar".

"We've just completed our unit on safe sex, and since so many of you did so _well _on it," she shot a demonic glare at Daisuke, who had of course flunked the unit, after blowing the condom up like a balloon and sending it whizzing around the classroom, "we'll now be beginning our lesson on _parenting_, the result of unprotected sexual relations! I'll be dividing you into pairs, and for one month, you will be taking care of the frighteningly-realistic baby dolls the school just received by pushing another fundraiser on you that you all will be learning about tomorrow!" This was said in a single breath.

Several groans sounded, quickly morphed into cries of "Hooray, fundraising!"

Of course, I had learned about the infamous parenting unit from Taichi. His partner had been his friend Takenouchi Sora, who had restricted him from any access with their "child." Of course, back in their day, the baby had just been a sack of flour.

Great, now we got more realistic ones? All the flour sacks did was occasionally leak flour from a strategically-placed rip in the bottom. But now we had to clean up almost-real baby waste!

"The first pair will be…" she paused for dramatic effect, "Kanagawa Akemi and Takaishi Takeru."

Takeru was emotionless, as Akemi, a rather brainy chess-club member and indirect acquaintance of Ken, smiled at him through thick-lensed glasses.

"Tokushima Naota and Iwate Fumiko…"

She continued down the names in a completely random order, pairing Daisuke with an extremely flirtatious cheerleader named Oita Sayae (who blew a kiss to him when their names were called, and I saw Ken pale), and then calling out my name, startling me. You'd think I'd be used to hearing my own name by now…

"Yagami Hikari and… Ichijouji Ken."

I smiled at my quiet friend, and he managed a small one himself, but I could see he was still watching Daisuke and Sayae with sad eyes. I made a mental note to slap Daisuke later, just for being stupid. I swear, if more dumb people were slapped daily, the world would be a smarter place.

But maybe that's just me.

--

After my extremely pleasant detention with Haruka-sensei (I was to write "I will not be tardy" one hundred times on the board. There was already a special piece of chalk waiting for me in a glass case, labeled "YAGAMI." She told me it had served my brother well in his time.), I went to Ken's house, to begin my job as a part-time parent.

Our "child" was indeed frighteningly realistic. It was a boy, with huge, glassy eyes and a slack jaw. We both stared at the doll in shock.

"Um… we're supposed to name it…" I trailed off. Ken poked it hesitantly, and the jaw started moving up and down with a mechanical grinding sound.

"Aah! That means he's hungry!" Ken exclaimed, digging through the diaper bag we had been given, pulling out a tiny, microwavable packet, "Here! Mix this with some water!"

I hurried to the kitchen where Mrs. Ichijouji was unloading the dishwasher. She looked up at me with smiling, violet eyes, just like her son's.

"Oh, hi there, Hikari," she said sweetly, straightening herself and wiping her hands on her jeans. "Do you need something?"

"Uh, yes please, some water," I said quickly, pouring the packet of sludge-colored powder into a plastic bowl. Ken's mother took it from me and hastily put it under the sink, filling it with tap water, then returning it to me.

"Here you go, dear. Just yell if you two need anything else, now!"

I thanked her, bowing quickly, before I dashed back up the stairs, stirring the disgusting mixture with my finger and watching it turn to something a lot like wet, green sand, careful not to spill.

I handed it to Ken, who hurriedly dipped a rubber-coated spoon into the gunk and raised it, pausing.

"… How are we supposed to feed it, again?" He asked nervously. I saw his dilemma: the baby's mouth was caught in a perpetual, robotic movement of opening and closing in a chewing manner, leaving us no opportunity to stick the spoon in.

"Just… just put it in there!" I told him, pushing his hand forward helpfully.

As one, we inserted the spoon, which the child… gnawed on. I don't know why I didn't realize it before; how in the world were we supposed to get the food down?!

After a bit of debating, we placed the baby on its back and dribbled the sludge down its throat, until its scary mouth stopped, and it was placated for the time being.

I slapped Ken a high-five, and we collapsed on the carpet, feeling quite accomplished… until a horrific odor wafted through the air.

"Holy…" I gasped, covering my nose with my shirt. Ken choked, quickly doing the same. We stared at the child blankly.

"There is no possible way that thing could've processed the food that fast!" Ken cried, his voice muffled by his shirt.

Being the woman (by physical definition only), I approached our charge, peeling the diaper off slowly. I was met with a browner, mushier version of what we had just pushed down his throat.

"No!" I wailed in horror, nearly blown back by the smell. "I am _not _touching that!"

"Well, neither am _I!" _Ken retorted, his calm voice growing more exerted.

In the end, using parental compromising skills (read: Rock, Paper, Scissors), we decided that I would change the thing.

I wadded the diaper up, chunking it in the trash, and replaced it rapidly. It was actually a lot easier than I had expected.

After the baby "fell asleep" (its eyes closed and it made prerecorded inhaling and exhaling noises that faintly disturbed me), Ken and I sat on opposite ends of his bed, talking.

"Do you remember the first time I saw you guys?" He asked me, and I nodded, "I saw Daisuke first… we were both so young. I didn't even know I _could _like other boys yet, but when I saw Daisuke… my heart just froze. I remember that I wasn't able to focus that whole game, because Daisuke was just so amazing. No one had ever affected me that way before… when he shook my hand… I couldn't breathe…"

I listened as his voice grew quieter and quieter.

"I think about him all the time. I think about holding him, telling him that I think he's just the most incredible guy in the world. But whenever I imagine these things, I can never think of his reaction, because Daisuke's so unpredictable," he chuckled, and when he looked up, his beautiful eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "That's just one reason why I love him, Hikari."

I hugged Ken, briefly.

"I don't think Daisuke's good enough for you," I said jokingly, but he looked up at me with eyes that clearly said he thought I was mistaken.

--

Yamato's apartment is huge, and somehow different from all the ones around him. Maybe it's the welcome mat that Sora got him a few years earlier (two playing cards, with the words "One Joker and One Queen Live Here"), or maybe it's the Christmas lights that haven't been taken down in Lord-knows-how-many years. Either way, I had been to the house so many times before that by now it was like a second home.

My mother knocked on the door loudly, and it was opened to reveal Ishida Yamato, pretty and slender as usual, but with stress lines under his eyes he hadn't bothered to cover with concealer yet, as was his obvious, swollen lip and huge, black eye he was holding an icepack to. He was still dressed in flannel pants that were several inches too long for him and a soft, baggy shirt, with his long hair mussed.

Apparently, he had just gotten out of bed… at seven p.m.

"Yamato-kun!" My mother cried, immediately fussing over him, smoothing his blonde hair down. "You look awful! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he said in a slightly hoarse voice. "I'm so sorry I'm indecent, Aoi-san, and Kari-chan…"

My mother beamed at his polite way of saying her first name. "Oh, it's perfectly fine, Yamato. Would you like some help preparing dinner?"

"NO," he said a bit too loudly, then recovered. "Er, I mean, no thank you. I couldn't possibly ask that."

"Well, okay, then. Oh, my, the place is spotless!"

Mom always said that when we entered the house. Of course it was spotless; I had wondered before if the carpet ever _didn't _have vacuum-streaks on it, or if the tabletops ever _didn't _show your reflection on their resin-coated surfaces. But that was just Matt's way of coping with anxiety. When he was stressed out, he grabbed his infamous pink apron and began cleaning like no tomorrow.

"Thank you", Yamato said quietly, going into the kitchen as my mother sat down on the sofa across from the widescreen, with two shelves of DVDs underneath. You could obviously tell that two people lived in the household; the top shelf held sports documentaries, stand-up comedy, spoofs, and cheesy horror flicks, while the second rack contained mystery, wartime angst and sci-fi… and the American romantic-comedy _Maid in Manhattan. _Matt always claimed that the last one was a friend's, and he was keeping it for her… but I doubted it.

My mom was looking fondly at the row of framed photographs on the mantel. Each one was of a long-haired blonde and a grinning, tanned young man with gravity-defying hair and warm, brown eyes: my brother, Taichi.

I left her to smile at the one of the couple kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower (at the Teenage Wolves' Europe tour when they were seventeen), and I entered the kitchen, where Yamato was throwing handfuls of some spice or another into the pan of stir-fry he was preparing.

"Is Takeru gonna be here soon?" I asked him. He nearly jumped, and I felt bad for startling him.

"Oh, Kari… hey. I… he said he might not be able to make it. I have no idea why, but…" He gulped, tears in his eyes.

I stared like an idiot, as Matt let go of the pan and literally collapsed onto the floor, sobbing brokenly. Snapping out of it, I rushed over and touched his shoulder in what I imagined to be a comforting way.

"Matt, are you gonna be alright?" I asked softly. Oh, good going, Hikari. Of course he's alright; he emotionally falls apart _all _the time…

"Yes," He choked, covering his bruised face with shaking fingers. I noticed that his long hands looked almost naked without the usual band on his left ring finger, "B-but, I just…"

I was quiet, allowing him to gulp and sob, managing to get out, "I'm so sorry, Hikari-chan! B-but I miss your brother so much… and after I lost the ring… oh, God, Kari, I just don't know how the hell I'm gonna survive until Christmas! We barely even have time to call each other any more, so I don't even get to hear his voice. It's _killing_ me…!"

I had no idea what to say, so I hugged Yamato weakly, feeling his thin form collapse against my own. I held him, letting him cry as much as he needed to as I rubbed his back soothingly.

And then the phone rang. I released Matt, and he stood shakily, grabbing the phone from the cradle and saying in a relatively calm tone, "Ishida Yamato speaking."

Immediately, I knew who was on the other end, as Matt's eyes grew impossibly bright with unbridled joy.

"T-Tai-koi!" He cried ecstatically, now holding the phone like a precious burden. "Tai! Oh, my God!" By this point, Yamato was bouncing up and down and I took a step back for my own safety. "Yeah, I'm doing… all right. What? You _did?_ That's amazing! Baby, I'm so proud of you!"

He smiled at me, tears still streaking his face as he whispered, "Taichi's going to the national championships!" He paused, listening to my brother talk. "Oh, my… we _can? _Taichi! Holy shit! Kari, we're all going to the game!"

I was sure my eyes bugged out like a stress-toy. "WHAT?!"

"Tai got us tickets! Y-yeah, love, Hikari's here… and your mom; I invited them both over for dinner… yeah! I know we can make it, if you have the tickets… Takeru too? Oh, Tai." I saw more tears fall down his face, this time tears of happiness. "I love you, too." A pause, "No, I love _you _more." Another pause. "No, I love _you _more. Damn it, Tai, not everything is a competition!"

I rolled my eyes, before running into the living room to inform my mother of the good news.

--

Dinner was an elated affair after Yamato got off the phone. I hoped these mood swings would not become a reoccurring thing.

"The nationals are in a month," Yamato told us after swallowing a bite of stir-fry. "Tai is going to mail us the tickets as soon a possible. The game takes place in New York City, so we'll be meeting Mimi there. Takeru and the whole gang are coming with us. God, I still can't believe this…"

I smiled, watching Yamato spring up and down in his seat.

In the back of my mind, I began to wonder how Ken was handling our little bundle of joy…

--

"I hate you."

I looked up at lunch the following day (a piece of bread and watery soup in a Styrofoam cup that oddly resembled a morphed tray…) and blinked at my Health partner, who had our "child" slung over his shoulder in an ingeniously-constructed baby carrier.

"What?" I blinked. "Why do you hate me?"

"This thing got hungry and then spewed the mess out the other end eight times last night. EIGHT. I got one hour of sleep last night. ONE."

"And you have three seconds to get out of my seat before I kick your ass up and down the soccer field… THREE." Daisuke piped up cheerily from behind Ken.

The slim boy chuckled, but nonetheless sat and scooted over a few inches in order to make room for Daisuke.

"Oh, you _wish _you could even _keep up _with me on the field, Motomiya."

"Might I remind you of the four stitches you have on your leg? FOUR."

"For crying out loud, Davis, that was _five _years ago. FIVE. And besides, you kick people all the time. It's nothing out of the ordinary."

"Yeah, but that was the only time _anyone _had ever distracted you on the field… uh… ONLY."

"_Only _isn't a number, moron."

"Sorry to break the pattern… PATTERN."

"Now you're just annoying me for your own entertainment," Ken muttered, but he couldn't repress a smirk.

Suddenly, Daisuke seemed to pause in his hyperactivity. "Wait a second… what did you call me a second ago?"

"… Moron?"

"No, before that."

"Motomiya, which I do believe happens to be your surname."

"Damn it, Ken, stop being a smartass! You called me 'Davis' and you know it!" His face softened. "Nobody's called me that since sixth grade…"

Ken shrugged, bending over his plate and letting his hair cover his face. (I could see the dark blush plainly on his pale complexion)

"No big deal."

"No, it _is _a big deal," Daisuke insisted, using his bread crusts to sop up the remains of his soup. "I want you to call me Davis from now on. NOBODY else is allowed to call me that, got it?"

"Got it," I giggled. I was struck with a memory of a time when I listened in on the older kids playing Spin the Bottle, the most cliché game in existence.

"_From now on," _fourteen-year-old Taichi had cried importantly to the assembled friends, _"this guy sitting next to me shall be addressed a 'Matt' by all who know him… and 'Yama' by me. NOBODY else is allowed to call him Yama, only me, his loving and inhumanly-sexy boyfriend, because I am Taichi and my word is law. Everyone clear on that?"_

Daisuke stared at me. "Why are you laughing?"

"You really are a lot like Tai," I chuckled, opening my miniaturized milk carton.

(The school budget-cuts were really starting to annoy me.)

--

I received a call from Tachikawa Mimi that night.

"Hello?"

"_Hikari-chan! This is Mimi!"_

"Oh! Hi!"

"_Hikari, you'll never believe what happened! I've been given an offer to be in a Calvin Klein ad!"  
_  
I hesitated. It was an American brand I had heard of, and I had to assume it was pretty important for Mimi to be that excited. Then again, pretty much everything excited Mimi, from the sprinkles on a chocolate milkshake to a new song from some obscure pop artist. One time she just about blew a gasket when we saw some guy at the mall who looked a lot like Gackt. I keep trying to calmly convince her that it wasn't him, but she won't listen…

"You're kidding, Mimi!"

"_Teehee! No, really, I'm not! They want me to go to a photo shoot tomorrow morning for their fall denim collection! Eeeee!"_

I smiled broadly. "That's so great. When will the magazine be out? Will you send me a copy?"  
_  
"One step at a time, silly! How are things in Odaiba? I tried to call Sora-chan earlier, but she didn't answer her phone…"_

"Oh," I paused. "Sora's… probably busy right now with the flower shop. But everything's great. You'll be going to the national championship to cheer Tai on, right?"

"_DUH, Kari! What kind of friend do you think I am! Honestly!" _I could hear her rifling through some papers in the background. _"How's Matt? Is he using the eyelash-curlers like I showed him to?"_

"… Um, Mimi, how am I supposed to know something like that? But Matt _is _doing loads better ever since Taichi invited us to America."  
_  
"Oh, that's good… Wait, how was he _before _that?"_

"Mimi-rin, he was a _wreck_. The house was so clean I felt like my breath was contaminating the air! But he was the complete opposite. He kept bursting into tears about how he missed Tai… and his hair was a disaster."  
_  
"Oh, my God- Yamato's gone into withdrawal! You didn't give him chocolate, did you?!"  
_  
"…No."

"_Good. Because if you give an angsting, sexually-deprived Matt chocolate, he cries like a little girl and starts wailing about how it makes him think of Taichi's eyes, and if you don't take the chocolate away in about fifteen seconds, it's all downhill from there."_

"What's all downhill?"  
_  
"Kari, have you ever seen _The Exorcist?"

"No, I don't think so."

"_Then just think of the scariest Yamato you've ever seen."  
_  
"Okay…"

"_Now multiply him by ten and take any contact with Tai away, then add all the symptoms of PMS."_

"Gosh."  
_  
"Exactly. Now you know why you never give a Matt a chocolate. Or a rabbit. But that's a story for another day."_

"Huh? Wait, Mimi! What was that about a rabbit?"

"_Bye, hun! See you in a few weeks!"_

And then she hung up on me. I stared at the telephone blankly for a few moments, then pressed 'off' and put it back on the stand.

--

**I know, a very abrupt ending. I'll work on that. **

**((Dwight voice)) Question. Why did I write this story in Hikari's POV? Because I felt like it. **

**Actually, it was because Kari-chan gets a bad rap. She's always either the annoying little sister or the angry, bitchy ex-girlfriend, it seems. Of course, that's a generalization; I have seen a few "Good Kari" fics before. But not many, which is why I'm adding mine. **

**So, please review, tell me what you think! Lots of OOCness that will soon be remedied! **

_**-Beezlee-**_


	2. Algebra Homework in a Broom Closet

**Hey there, everyone! Thank you so much to all those who reviewed. Replies are at the bottom.**

**NOTE TO ALL:**

**Because a lot of people inquired about the pairings, here are the ones that you'll find within the proverbial walls of this fanfiction: **

_**Main Pairs: **_**Taichi/Yamato-Takeru/Hikari-Sora/Mimi-Daisuke/Ken  
**_**One-Sided: **_**Taichi/Sora-Ken/Miyako-Daisuke/OC-Hikari/OC-Wallace/Pretty Much Everyone (Haha.)**

--

In the Rough

Chapter Two: _Algebra Homework in a Broom Closet_

--

The next day on the way to school, Ken and I _still _hadn't come up with a name for our kid. We were trying to hurry, as our little son had a playdate that afternoon with Takeru and Akemi's daughter, Kumiko, and Daisuke and Sayae's son, Gravy. As you can probably guess, little Gravy was christened by his doting father.

"How about Ryuu?" I asked, then paused, flipping ahead in _The Big Book of Baby Names. _"He could be our little dragon, and maybe we could get Koushiro to rewire him to breathe fire."

"I'd like a name starting with a vowel," Ken said thoughtfully as he pushed the baby carriage down the sidewalk next to me. He seemed immune to my strange ramblings.

"Arata? Akio? Um… Orino? Oh, wait, that's a girl's name… they really ought to separate those…"

"What about Ichiro? Just, 'first son'?" Ken asked.

I thought about it. "I like it. Is that what you want?"

"Yeah… Ichijouji-Yagami Ichiro… sounds good."

"Same here," I smiled over at the baby. "I think we'll both make good parents someday, Ken."

Ken's eyes were soft and forlorn as he murmured, "I've always wanted a son. I used to write poems about a baby boy more beautiful than all the others, with eyes like a song and a smile like sunshine…"

I grinned at him, gesturing to the newly-named Ichiro. "Well, I think we're out of luck at the moment, but I'm sure your son will look just like that _someday."_

"Shh!" He hissed, sounding almost serious. "You're hurting Ichiro-kun's feelings!"

I blinked. "…Sorry, Ichiro… -kun…"

The mechanical baby started up with the horrible grinding noise again, and Ken sighed, pulling a bottle with a syrupy form of the "food" from the diaper bag and holding it to Ichiro's mouth until it was empty and the noise stopped.

"He'll need a change before second period," Ken told me once we had reached the school and secured the carriage on the bike rack (it looked rather stupid next to all the bicycles), "and then he gets cranky around lunchtime if you don't read him a story. Ichiro likes "The Little Engine Who Could" and "Clifford's First Halloween," Don't read too fast, though, or he won't get the whole plot. Will you, my little angel?"

Ken tickled Ichiro's plastic nose, and I just stared, deciding not to bust Ken's maternal bubble.

"I'll try to remember that." I took the diaper bag and the blankets from Ken, swinging Ichiro over my shoulder carefully in his ducky-print carrier.

"See you at lunch," Ken said, kissing the baby on its artificial forehead and then walking off to his first period, Calculus.

I watched him for a moment, sincerely hoping it was normal for all the boys to act like this at some point, and then felt Takeru tap my shoulder.

"Hi, 'Keru," I greeted him as always. "The kids are still on for this afternoon at your house, right?"

"Yeah, if I can find Akemi," he said through clenched teeth. "Have you seen her lately?"

"No, I--"

Takeru cut me off, barking over my head to someone behind me (Takeru's a good few inches taller than me), "AKEMI! GET OVER HERE!"

The dark-haired girl looked startled, clutching a pink bundle to her chest.

"Y-yes, Takaishi-kun?"

"Don't you "Takaishi-kun" me!" He snarled, approaching her. "I called you three times last night, Akemi! I know for a fact that you weren't doing homework, because there was a bug in the schools' printers, so we didn't _have _homework. What were you doing with our daughter?!"

"T-Takeru, wait!"

But he snatched the blanket away, gaping at the "child."

Little Kumiko had apparently gotten a makeover, as she now had pierced ears and full makeup. (Any drag queen would have been jealous.) Akemi sniffled pitifully.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" Takeru bawled, grabbing the toy child away from his partner and sputtering indignantly.

"My cousin's in beauty school!" Akemi protested, cowering away from the angry boy. "She wanted a chance to show off her skills!"

(Now I was beginning to understand why Taichi always said the most terrifying thing God could send down to earth was an enraged blonde.)

"SKILLS! WHAT SKILLS?" By now, the three of us had gathered a crowd. I could see Daisuke pushing to the front, shorter than the majority of the other sophomores, and eating a candy bar I was certain he had stolen.

"OH, LIKE YOU COULD TAKE CARE OF OUR DAUGHTER ON YOUR OWN!"

"I COULD, AND I WILL!" cried Takeru. This occurred after several minutes of arguing, and after this loud declaration, Takeru grabbed my arm and lead me away angrily, with Daisuke immediately throwing his wrapper away and scrambling after us.

"What was that all about?" I hissed in astonishment. (And I had always assumed Takeru was the mellow one in the group…)

"She is so annoying," he growled, stopping at a water fountain and attempting to wash some of the cosmetics off of Kumiko. "I hate people with controlling personalities… with their big mouths, and their attitudes…"

"HI, EVERYONE!"

The three of us looked over as Miyako sauntered up, the book bag at her waist swinging back and forth.

"I see you've started the parenting unit in Health," she noted.

"How the hell did _you _manage?" Takeru cried in desperation.

Miyako sighed. "My partner was willing to change diapers for dates, so we made a deal."

"That was a lot of 'd's in one sentence," chuckled Daisuke.

"And where's _your _kid?" Miyako asked suspiciously.

"Ha, Sayae's got him this whole week." Daisuke looked immensely pleased with himself. He took another chewy bite of his candy bar.

"So you're taking him next week?" I asked.

"Nope. I only get him for two days."

"How so?" Now it was Takeru asking.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I just used the ol' Motomiya Charm…"

"In other words, you paid her in cash," Miyako said dully.

"Hey, at least I don't whore myself!"

"OH!" exclaimed Miyako. "This coming from Motomiya Daisuke, the boy who can't keep a stable relationship for longer than twelve minutes due to his having the attention span of a goldfish?"

"Yeah, well at least I _have _real relationships, not just phony ones for a Health project!" Daisuke snapped.

"You couldn't keep a steady significant other for more than a week, _at most."_

"Could too!"

"Wanna bet?"

"You're on! If I can keep a girlfriend… or boyfriend for over a week, you have to admit your undying love to Fujiyama-sensei in front of the whole school!"

Takeru and I gasped, as Daisuke was referring to the fat, greasy Home Economics teacher known for talking to his microwaves. Miyako only faltered for a moment, then came back strong.

"Fine! But if I win, meaning he or she breaks up with you by choice, you're wearing a g-string to school, then dropping your pants on the morning announcements!"

Daisuke shook her hand fiercely, gritting his teeth.

"Prepare to kiss up to Fujiyama, cuz you're goin' down!"

"They're having a sale at Victoria's Secret this weekend, Daisuke. You might want to consider shopping for thongs in advance!" Miyako retorted coolly.

I could see the electricity as their eyes met furiously, then Miyako cheerily waved goodbye to Takeru and I, and walked off, still swinging her hips back and forth.

"Daisuke!" Takeru cried in shock. "Do you have any idea what you just did?!"

"Yes," he replied smugly. "I just won a bet."

"But who the heck would want to go out with _you _for longer than absolutely necessary?"

Daisuke glared wryly at the blonde, then spoke. "For your information, _TP, _I have a plan. Hikari!" I looked at him curiously as he said my name. "You can pretend to date me for a week, so I'll win for sure!"

I stared evenly at him, shaking my head. "No, no, _no, _Dai. I am having _no _part of this."

"But, _Kareeeee!" _He whined, flashing me enormous, brown puppy-eyes. "You're my _best fwieeennd!"_

"Actually, I think that would be Ken…" I broke off, freezing, as did Daisuke.

"Ken! Great idea, Kari-chan! My buddy Ken'll do it for sure, cuz he's _cool, _unlike some people I could mention whose last name spells 'Imagay' backwards…"

"D-Dai, wait!" I cried out as he dashed off. "No, you don't understand! Ken, he…" But the little redheaded idiot was already out of earshot. "Takeru! We can't let him do that to poor Ken!"

"Huh?" Takeru looked over at me, pausing in his task of rinsing off his plastic daughter's electric blue mascara. "Sorry. Did you say something?"

I felt like ripping my hair out.

--

Lunch started out as a calm affair. The five of us (Miyako was in the library) sat quietly eating our macaroni and cheese, until Daisuke had to be all Daisuke-like.

"Hey, Ken, will you go out with me?"

Ken choked on a bite of food, dropping his spork and coughing violently. Iori reached over and pounded him on the back until he spat the macaroni out, recovering slowly. His face, however, was still beet-red, making him oddly resemble an American flag.

"W-what did you just ask me?" He whispered.

_Daisuke, no, no, please don't do this to Ken… if you only knew… _But none of my silent pleading reached the ears that were clogged with stupidity and dryer lint.

"I asked if you would date me for a week. It's not serious, or anything, it's just to win a bet with Miyako. If I can keep a boyfriend for a week, she'll ask out Fujiyama-sensei in front of everyone!"

I watched Ken as he gulped, his hands shaking, which he carefully concealed in his lap. His face was devoid of any emotion as he said in a frighteningly level voice, "That… would be hilarious, Davis."

"You bet your ass it would be! So, will you do it?"

I felt like crying, as I was sure Ken was about to do.

"… Sure." Ken muttered.

"Oh, awesome! You rock, dude! Seriously, you're, like, the best friend a guy could ever get!"

"I'm going to go to the bathroom," Ken said after nodding to each of us. He stood up and walked off too quickly to be natural… in the exact opposite direction of the nearest restroom.

--

"Ken?" I called out quietly, in a near-empty hallway. Then I saw his thin form huddled next to a water fountain, shivering. I immediately went to him, crouching down.

"Ken, Daisuke's being a moron again. He'll come around…"

"'_It's not serious, or anything'," _Ken quoted the other boy softly, eyes tearing up. "Kari, don't you get it? He doesn't like me as anything more than a friend…"

"Ken, don't say that," I insisted. "Maybe, if you just told him how you really felt…"

"NO!" He practically wailed, and I sincerely hoped no classes were disturbed. "Kari, if I freak him out too badly, he might not want to be my friend anymore. I can't risk that!"

I frowned, reaching out and petting Ken's long hair, something my mother would always do to me when I was sad. (She probably would've petted Tai's hair, too, if it weren't for the risk of her hand getting sucked into a black hole.)

"Maybe this'll all work out in the end," I said hopefully, putting on an encouraging grin. "Who knows? This might be just what was needed in taking that next step forward."

He looked up at me with big, indigo eyes. "You think?" I nodded, and he sighed. "Thank you, Hikari."

After we finished lunch, and after the semi-eventful playdate at Takeru's after school (Gravy threw up his food all over Sayae's new top… if you could call it a top. It looked more like tissue paper sewn together.), I decided that I needed to get some advice for Ken… advice from someone with experience in relationships. Someone wise, and knowledgeable… and within reasonable bus fare distance...

--

"YAMATO! YOU THERE?"

I stood, once again, on the playing-card welcome mat, pounding my fist on the huge, oak door.

"YAMATO, I NEED SOME HELP!"

I stepped back as the doorknob turned to the right, and it opened. I felt like breathing out a sigh of relief, as Ishida Yamato was back to normal. Of course, normal for him meant that he was using the proper amount of hair care products, and was back in his designer jeans again.

"Hey, Hikari, what's up?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe.

I slipped my shoes off and left them inside the door, walking inside and seeing Yamato hurriedly turn off the TV from the imported pay-per-view movie that had previously been playing.

"Were you just watching _Miss Congeniality?" _I asked curiously.

"Um, no," Yamato blurted. "It was… a nature documentary."

"With Sandra Bullock?"

He was silent. "Would you like some tea, Kari? I just made some."

I laughed as he went into the kitchen. "Yamato, it's okay, I know all about your affection for American romantic-comedies."

"Would you like honey in your tea?" He asked loudly.

"Sounds good," I called to him, rolling my eyes. I sat down on the cushy leather sofa, then stretched and snuggled one of the throw pillows.

I looked up as Matt handed me my tea and sat down in the armchair next to mine, taking a sip of his own drink.

"So, what seems to be the problem?"

"Well," I said slowly, suddenly unsure of how to approach the topic, "I have this friend, see, and--"

"Hikari, are you pregnant?" Yamato blurted out.

"What? NO!" I shrieked.

Yamato leaned back, breathing heavily. "Oh, that's a relief. God, Tai would've committed _suicide… _ahem. So, sorry, what's going on now?"

"I have a friend, and _no, _Matt, this isn't one of those "hypothetical" love problems where it's actually me. I _do _have a close friend with troubles. Yamato, you've been in love with an idiot since you were, like, six, so how exactly did you cope when you thought that Tai didn't like you?"

Yamato hesitated. "Err… well, if you must know… Actually, Kari, I don't really feel comfortable talking about this with you…"

"Please? He really needs help, and I don't know who else to turn to."

"Well… sometimes I wrote songs when I was younger, on my harmonica," he told me, drinking more tea, a faraway look in his turquoise eyes, "but when Sora asked Taichi out, and he said yes, when we were eleven… it sounds stupid, but I didn't think I could live like that. I was eleven, Kari… _eleven. _Geez, we hadn't even hit _puberty _yet!" He paused, sighing. "I think you remember that period, right? When I was sick all the time? You know, before I got anorexia?"

I nodded slowly, remembering that horrible period when Yamato was white as a sheet and even scrawnier than he was now. "Yes… I remember."

"I… I used to… I used to cut myself, Hikari."

My eyes widened. "You _what?"_

"I still have a few scars…" He rolled back the sleeve of his shirt, and I could see very faint, white lines on the creamy skin of his forearm. "But, Kari, trust me, I realize now how stupid that was. You know what Tai did when he found out? He smacked me upside the head."

I stared.

"Yup," he chuckled. "He kept screaming at me, "Yama, you idiot! What if you had died, or something? Who the hell's gonna finish my sentences and make fun of my hair and punch me when I'm being unreasonably stupid?" Hah… that certainly snapped me out of my angst."

"Yamato!" I exclaimed, horrified and unable to take my eyes off of the scars as he pulled his sleeve back down. "Why would you start cutting in the first place?!"

He glanced down at the vacuum-marks on the floor for a moment, before looking me straight in the eye. "This isn't a very good example… but, Kari, imagine walking by your mother, who is hugging another girl and calling _her _"daughter," something _you _want to be. Imagine that there's nothing you can do about it, because your mom doesn't _want _you to be her daughter."

My throat tightened, and I fidgeted uncomfortably.

"That's something like I felt whenever I had to watch Sora hug Taichi, or tell him that she… loved him," he continued slowly, "and it drove me over the deep end."

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. What else was I supposed to say? Yamato was eleven when all of that happened. It just didn't seem possible, but I had been there, so I knew it was true. I just never could have imagined he went through so much more pain than he let on.

"For what? That I was an overdramatic preteen wreck? Hey, I still _am. _Except for the preteen part, naturally. But, all it took was for me to grab Tai's shoulder and shout, "I love you, you crazy bastard!"

"And what did he do?" I asked, draining the last of my tea.

"First he spazzed, then he stood silently for a minute or so, then we ended up in a broom closet."

"Doing algebra homework, I suppose?" I questioned dryly.

"Haha, good one, Hikari. I'm guessing that's what you and Takeru do on weekends? Algebra homework?"

My face heated up. "As a matter of fact, we _do, _because a.), we're not going out in the first place, and b.), even if we _were, _which we're _not, _we're not hormonally-driven freaks like you and my brother, if you'll pardon my brashness."

"… Brashness pardoned," he chuckled, standing to take our teacups and saucers away (they had rosebuds hand-painted on them, and I could've sworn I had seen them before, on the Home Shopping Network).

All I could think about was how Yamato, one of the more level-headed people I knew, had nearly committed suicide because my brother is a dimwit.

--

The next day was Saturday. Saturday is "Hikari and Miyako Go Shopping and Talk About Boys and Music and How Daisuke is an Idiot, then Perhaps Grab Some Food or Something" Day.

Well, actually, on this particular Saturday, we just went to the park… so the title doesn't apply. Go figure.

"I was talking to Wallace the other day on IM…" she told me, holding her arms out for balance as she walked across the narrow top of the Pointless Brick Wall. "His girlfriend, Hailey, just dumped him."

(Now, you see, there is a bit of a history to the Pointless Brick Wall. It's about a fifty-foot-long, four-foot-high stretch of bricks along the sidewalk. It doesn't divide something from something else, it isn't particularly eye-catching, and it holds no particular historical significance to our fine city. However, it was the place where Tai and Matt had their first kiss. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside just walking next to it.)

"She did?" I asked blankly, my hands in the pockets of my gray hoodie. I think it might've been Daisuke's at one point. He gives me all his old clothes when he's done with them. He's so considerate.

"Yeah, for some football-player named Dennis."

"Football-player? Well, then I guess Dennis isn't _all _bad…"

"No, Kari, not like the good kind of football. I mean _American _football. Not soccer. The type of football with helmets and giant shoulder pads and Superbowls."

I shuddered. "Oh, _that _kind. Poor Wallace …"

"He's coming to the championship too, y'know."

I tilted my head to the side. "Why? He doesn't know Taichi personally."

Miyako giggled, hopping off the Pointless Brick Wall as it reached its pointless, brick end. "I know. I think he's just coming to see _you."_

"Yeah, well," I said, my cheeks turning pink. "He didn't just like _me. _He said you were cute, too, remember?"

"He said my _name _was cute, but he liked you better. I could tell. I know these things."

"Miya, Wallace crushed on anything with reproductive organs! He liked me, you, Daisuke… I think he might've liked Takeru, too!"

"He and Dai are kindred spirits," my violet-haired friend sighed, stretching her long arms above her head. "It's no wonder they IM each other, like, every day."

"Every day?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah, but it's all really dumb stuff… I actually read one of their chats once… it was, like," she adopted a perfect imitation of Daisuke's scratchy, self-assured tone, "'yo, dood. wazzup?' And then Wallace replied with," she dropped the scratchiness from her voice and came back with a more cocky impression, almost a drawl, "'nuthin. i saw this hott chick the other day. she had, leik, hott boobs.' And then Dai said, 'haha. 2 sweet.'"

I laughed, holding onto my stomach as she adopted sighed and continued.

"But, wait, Kari, there's more… Their main topic of debate was who liked cheese more, then who had slept with which guy's mom, and how many times."

I smirked, my laughter dying down. "At least you never had to share an account with Taichi. I would get messages from Matt all the time. Oh, goodness… I can't tell you how many times I had to reply with "This is Hikari, Yamato, and no, I'm not wearing your underwear, and I really would rather not in the future. I also am not very interested in what position you're in, or whether or not you can hold it for five minutes. Have a nice day, and please put some pants on."

(It's always fun talking to a best girl friend, no matter what the topic at hand it…)

--

After talking about IM for so long, I decided to sign on. I hadn't in a while, after all. (Thank you, Mom, for finally letting me get my own separate account…)

noodle-cart-pwnage: hi kari

Hikari-Tenshi12: Hey, Dai. :3

noodle-cart-pwnage: havent seen u here in a wile

noodle-cart-pwnage: while

Hikari-Tenshi12: Have I missed much?

noodle-cart-pwnage: what

Hikari-Tenshi12: Never mind… is anyone else online?

noodle-cart-pwnage: oh what am i not cool enough

Hikari-Tenshi12: Um.

Hikari-Tenshi12: How about a chatroom?

noodle-cart-pwnage: …ok

I followed him to one, to find that Iori and Koushiro were chatting.

PruneKingCody: Hello.

Hikari-Tenshi12: Hi, Iori.

010Prodigious010: Good evening, Hikari.

Hikari-Tenshi12: Good evening, Koushiro-san.

noodle-cart-pwnage: oh boy now all the losers are in one chatroom well bye now im gonna go talk to someone cool

//noodle-cart-pwnage has left the chatroom\\

I signed off shortly afterward, as talking to Iori and Koushiro wasn't much fun, after all.

I swiveled around in my chair, looking at my tidy room with a dull expression. I still had that old bunkbed… however, I sleep on the top bunk now, Taichi's old bed. You find some pretty interesting stuff up there, I'll tell ya.

Just the other day, during a thorough examination of the area between the mattress and the headboard, I unearthed a half of a bologna sandwich, _Pokemon: Sapphire Version_ for the Gameboy Advance (I popped it into my Gameboy for a few minutes, to find all of Tai's Pokemon near death and all named things like "Iamstupid"), two tickets to some old musical, a pair of blunted scissors with something sticky keeping them from functioning properly, and a bag of Skittles.

I ate the Skittles. They were, surprisingly enough, still edible.

What also surprised me was the discovery of Tai's old journal (not diary- _journal). _I could tell it was so because the cover read **THIS IS TAICHI'S JOURNAL, AND YOU SHOULDN'T READ IT, CUZ HE IS TAICHI AND HE WILL KILL YOU WITH HIS AWESOMENESS. FOR REALS.**

I spent all night reading it, of course. I'm serious when I say my brother has very limited thought capacity. As Koushiro deducted once, the inner workings of Taichi's mind read "Food," "Soccer," "Video Games," and "Yamato".

_April 3__rd__-_

_We lost the game to the Nagasaki Prowlers last night. What a stupid name for a team. Prowlers…_

(Taichi's high school soccer team was the Hotshots… so I don't know what he's talking about there.)

_The only reason we lost is because stupid Haruo can't kick a ball for shit. I swear, he almost hit a member of the crowd._

_After the game I went home and made some instant ramen. Only then, I figured out that it wasn't really ramen, but a carton of ice cream. Of course, I was half asleep anyway, so I just drank the melted ice cream, then went to sleep. Had a really nice dream… Yama-chan and melted ice cream… mmmm. _

(Didn't I tell you? Now all we need is video games.)

_Then I went to Kou's to play Halo this morning. Kou may be a genius, but he sucks at gaming. _

(Well, there you go.)

_April 9__th__-_

_I talked to Sora on the phone today. That girl is getting a bit scary lately; she said that she thinks her new boyfriend, Shinichi, was secretly dating Jun, too. Then again, what straight guy hasn't dated Motomiya Jun at some point? Anyway, now Sora says she has to go and kill Jun. Straight people worry me sometimes, always fighting over who likes who… Personally, I think that I'm much more stable than that. Like, yesterday for instance, Yama-chan and I were at a club, and when some jackass started hitting on my babycakes, I only threw _one _brick at him._

(…)

_April 15__th__-_

_Sora invited me to go to the mall with her, and then we ended up inviting Mimi and Yama-chan too. Yama-chan was upset because he hadn't done laundry in a week, so the jeans he was wearing were, like, two sizes too small. Geez, it wasn't like __**I **__was complaining! I don't even think I concentrated too hard on what all I bought, cuz I was too busy thinking about how I wanted to-_

And I'll skip the next… seven paragraphs or so, to protect virgin eyes… um, okay, here's a good entry…

_April 30__th__-_

_Hika-pika-pie _(that would be yours truly) _covered for me again today. Mom apparently called home while I was out egging Old Man Sato's house with Sora, since he rear-ended her car last week and the note he left was on rainforest paper. Hika-pika answered the phone, and told her I was in the shower and I would call her back later._

_I have such an awesome little sister._

Now, _that _made me feel happy. I'll make a mental note to hug Taichi extra-hard when I get to America in a few weeks.

After I decided that maybe, just _maybe _Tai didn't want me reading his innermost thoughts (like they're any different from his _outermost _thoughts), I made myself a bowl of cereal and turned on the television.

It was MTV, and I definitely paused when I saw what they were reporting on:

_In other news, the highly popular rock group "Teenage Wolves" cancelled their last concert in the country-wide tour, which was to take place in Tokyo._

_In an exclusive interview with the band's keyboardist, Miyagi Joumei-san, it was revealed that the concert was cancelled by the request of lead singer and bassist, Ishida Yamato-san. _

"_Some drunk dude cornered Yamato after the show, and started talking trash about our music. 'Mato handled that well enough, and he was really calm the whole time, until the guy gave him crap about his relationship with Tai."_

_Of course, the man had been referring to Ishida-san's long-term boyfriend, Yagami Taichi-san, a professional player on the NYC Whitehawks soccer team. _

"'_Mato went ballistic," Miyagi-san continued. "He just went _flying _at the guy, and then all hell broke lose. We managed to pull 'Mato off of the dude, who started screaming about filing for lawsuit… yeah, well, 'Mato just kicked him again. Right in the--"_

_The incident was caught on film, but all footage of the actual fight has been confiscated. Rumor has it that Ishida-san not only gained a bloody face, but also lost something incredibly valuable to him in the fistfight, and is now too distraught to go onstage anytime soon._

_The Teenage wolves are made up of Ishida Yamato-san, vocals and bass, Tottori Akira-san, percussion, Hashigawa Kiyoshi-san, lead guitar, and Miyagi Joumei-san, keyboards. _

_And now for their new chart-topping single, "Fast!" _

As the image on screen switched to a blurry, seizure-inducing racetrack, and Yamato's familiarly silky voice began to belt out masterful lyrics about how a relationship was like one big race, I sat, munching the bite of cereal thoughtfully.

I wish I could be on TV someday. Yamato's on there practically every day, with some new interview or "scandal". Gasp, a raunchy sex tape featuring Ishida and his boyfriend?! Oh, please. We've got billions of those around Odaiba. I hear Motomiya Jun can sell you one for like five hundred yen. Or, God forbid, a photograph of Ishida eating _carbs! _Perish the thought of the world's prettiest singer becoming wider than a toothpick!

Maybe I'll be interviewed at the championship. Matt already warned me to bring a scarf or some sunglasses, to cover my face. He even offered to let me borrow his really nice ones, with the custom lacquer.

He says that the paparazzi may seem cool at first, but it gets to the point of pulling out a rifle and going berserk when every second of every day, it's "OH, MY GOD, ISHIDA-SAMA! IS THAT COFFEE YOU'RE DRINKING?! WHICH BRAND IS IT?! ARE YOU HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH YOUR KEYBOARDIST?!" (And, yes, he has gotten such abrupt changes of topic as that before, if not more random.)

I think I might just go against his wishes, though, and shout at the cameramen, "Hey, lookit me! My name is Yagami Hikari, and I know lots of deep, dark secrets about my brother's boyfriend! For instance, did you know that Yamato owns a pair of yoga pants with "JUICY" printed on the back?!? It's true!"

Okay, maybe not _that _far. Because I really don't want Matt pissed at me. When he gets upset, he won't let me use the super-cool massage chair Mimi got him last Christmas.

It has heat _and _optional "serene ambiance" background noise!

--

Ken told me that while Miyako and I were at the park, Daisuke took him out to ice cream. He actually paid for Ken's! I had no idea that Daisuke even knew what money _was! _

Apparently, Daisuke flourished the bill around and screamed at the top of his lungs, "HEY, I'M BUYING THIS ICE CREAM FOR MY BOYFRIEND, WHOM I LOVE VERY MUCH!"

Ken said it felt great, but at the same time he was sad and humiliated, because, of course, it wasn't real. Daisuke is such an _idiot! _(And I doubt he used the word "whom" correctly there. It was probably just Ken auto-correcting it.)

I have a feeling that by the end of this week, things are going to change between them.

And this time, I think I might not hate being right.

--

**Haha, another chapter done! I am a veritable chapter machine! **

_**Replies to Reviewers: **_

**They-Call-Me-Orange: Yeah, I completely agree with you. A lot of fiction makes **_**everyone **_**gay, and that is indeed unrealistic. I'm trying just to keep it Tai/Yama and Ken/Dai, but I still have no idea how this is going to turn out. I probably am going to make it a Takari in the end, though. Thank you for the compliments; it's been a while since I've heard from you. :-D**

**I LoVe ShInY ThInGz: Heehee, thank you so much! I love your name, btw. **

**ccc: That really means a lot to me. :-) I'm a huge Yagami-lover, so both Hikari and Taichi are awesome in my opinion… not many people like Kari as much as Tai, though. She seriously needs more publicity.**

**anon: Thank you! ;-) Takari sounds like a good idea… but what about a LOVE PENTAGON! MUAHAHAHA! (ahem) **

**Sutzina Zion: I know, I love long chapters too… it was originally going to be two, shorter chapters, but I couldn't find a good place to cut it off. Thank you for reviewing! **

**Angel of the Night 213: Ooh, I do like Mimi/Sora… actually, now that you mention it, that might be a good plan, even though I originally was going to pair Mimi with Michael… drama, drama, drama! Sora could so kick Michael's butt… Thank you for the review and the idea! I will definitely put some Sormi in there. **

**And now, a reply to a very special person…**

**JyouraKoumi: …… Are you certifiably insane? No, I'm serious. Because I'm getting that vibe from you. **

**If you are actually sane/sober while reading this:**

**-I said, quite clearly, in chapter one, that I had changed the ages. I know very well that Miyako and Koushiro are not the same age, and that Mimi and Koushiro are. I've, as you put so eloquently, "done my research".**

**-And about your last comment… "Lol do ur research and find out yoursleves cuz jyoumi is gay in Japan.." Well, first of all, I never mentioned any Jyou/Mimi in this story, and even if there is in the future, I don't believe it's a slash pairing. Last time I checked, Jyou was a boy and Mimi was a girl, but I dunno, that might've changed by now. This world is a crazy place. (Also, btw, there is only one of me. You know, as you addressed me as "yourselves". I do not suffer from MPD, but that's an easy mistake to make.)**

**And, I read your bio page… if you're trying to gain some… I don't know, "street cred" by talking (or rather, writing) like that, I'd advise you to choose another topic besides your favorite Digimon pairings. Just some friendly advice.**

**Happy holidays, JyouraKoumi, and kindly lay off the eggnog a little! **

**R/R! You've already read it, so now review it! **

_**-Beezlee-**_


	3. Kicking Hyeneeghs and Taking Names

**Here's chapter three! Reviews from the last chapter at the bottom. **

**NOTICE: Before anyone makes a comment on this, this story is indeed a mixture of Japanese and American culture. I like to blend the two together, as different people prefer different story settings. It all depends on if you would rather have a "Tai Kamiya" or a "Yagami Taichi." In all honesty, I like both. :3 **

**DISCLAIMER: I still do not own Digimon: Digital Monsters. But now I have a spiffy new KARAOKE MACHINE! Now I can imitate my favorite cliché fanfictions! **

**--**

In the Rough

Chapter Three:_ Kicking Hyeneeghs and Taking Names_

--

Takeru told me over the phone about the very interesting Sunday he spent with Yamato, who had insisted on "brotherly bonding."

"We had lunch at that cool pizza place," he said, voice sounding a bit strained. "But the waitress kept stuttering and blushing whenever Matt uttered one syllable. Finally, when we were paying for our meal, she just freaked out and screamed "WILL YOU MARRY ME?!" It was pretty embarrassing. Matt just kinda sat and blinked at her, before gently turning her down. Then the waitress got all sad, but she was happier when she got an autograph out of the deal. Matt told me that even though that happens to him, like, a dozen times a week, he's still surprised every time."

"He said to me it's because he still thinks it's impossible for someone to like him," I said, twirling the phone cord around my finger and spinning around in my computer chair. Saying this, I was reminded of the time Yamato turned beet-red at dinner when Tai told him that he looked really good in black.

"Really? That's stupid. Half the people inhabiting the globe want to have his children… men included, mind you."

I laughed my head off at this. Suddenly, however, there was a silence.

"Hey… Kari?"

"Yeah, 'Keru?"

His voice was nearly inaudible. "Do you think they'll ever get married?"

"Oh, TK," I sighed, reverting back to his old nickname. "You know they would if they could. I think they would've gotten married when they were thirteen, if that was possible."

"It's so dumb," Takeru snarled, "that marriage is restricted like that… That whole "sacred union between man and woman" thing? Tai and Matt have more love and devotion in their relationship than any other couple I've _ever _seen."

"I know," I said reassuringly. "But… gay marriage is legal in some countries. They could easily go get a marriage license in Canada or Spain, or somewhere like that."

"I think they want to wait it out," Takeru said slowly. "It would mean so much more if they could get married here in Japan."

"Yeah…" I murmured.

We both sat in silence. I could practically see his blue eyes softening, so different than his brother's.

Contrary to popular belief, Takeru looks _nothing _like Yamato. Whereas Yamato is small and slight, Takeru has always been tall and lanky, with wire-thick hair and a round face, nose, and eyes. Everything about Takeru is softer, and less noticeable, while Yamato has the kind of sharp, slanted beauty that makes people on the street think to themselves, "Holy crap, I think I just saw an angel… in couture."

As I sat, mulling this over, Takeru said he needed to hang up, since his mother was freaking out about something living in the sofa.

_Yamato may be gorgeous (forgive me, Taichi)… but Takeru is Takeru-ish. And that may be even better. _

--

The day is Monday, and the time is approximately 2:35. I, Yagami Hikari, am about to show you exactly how simple-minded my friends and I are.

The following note was passed around my Art Appreciation class for almost twenty minutes before Nara-sensei snatched it from Daisuke's hands.

(Italics is Daisuke, bold is Takeru, and underlined is me)

_i totally had everyone n that ice cream shop beleeving that Ken n i were goin out. This week is gonna b so ez! _

**You're an idiot. I've said it a thousand times, and I'll say it again.**

It's really horrible, what you're doing, Dai.

_o, come on! u dont think its funny?_

**I'm so very tempted to tell Miyako that your relationship is fake. She certainly freaked out at lunch, when you two came in holding hands. Iori had to restrain her from murdering you with a spork.**

_u tell Miyako and i kick ur hiney._

Isn't it "hinie?"

**It's not even a word, morons. **

_or maybe "hineey"_

Or "hynee."

**Hikari, don't get sucked into this! It's so retarded. **

_or "hynie"_

Perhaps "hieneey."

_what about… "hhynnei"_

… Takeru's right. This is stupid.

_or "hhyhneih"_

**Hey, Kari, while Matt and I were "brotherly bonding," he mentioned something about having a serious discussion with you. What was that about?**

"_hiehnyee"_

I was getting relationship advice for Ken. I figured your brother would be the best person to go to.

"_hyeneegh"… wait, what wuz that about ken? _

**That's true, Kari, Matt would definitely be the most reliable. Did he help any?**

_wut r u guyz talkin about?_

A little. But now I'm afraid to talk to Ken about it. He has such fragile nerves…

_r u dissin my guy? cuz i will totally kill u._

**Oh, what're you gonna do, kick our hyeneeghs? **

Or maybe it's "highknees."

_no, no, thats an exercise…_

--

I really don't like my P.E. class. They group all the freshman and sophomore girls together, and then throw them out into different groups to play volleyball, soccer, or tennis. I usually play volleyball, as it's easiest just to sort of stand in the back and run whenever the ball is flying my way.

We don't have P.E. uniforms this year, but I kept mine from last year, before our school suffered its heavy budget cuts. The uniform has consisted of the same two garments for decades: gray, drawstring shorts, and a navy blue tee shirt with "ODAIBA HIGH SCHOOL PHYS. ED" printed in white letters.

Most of the girls go through P.E. in shorts and sports bras. I guess the coaches figure it doesn't matter how scantily-clad the students are, as the genders are divided. I would _never _go out in just a sports bra, however; God, I can just imagine all the jeers. I have had the body of an eleven-year-old since I was… eleven. I don't think that's changing any time soon.

I had been standing in the back of the playing area, minding my own business and picking at a hangnail, when out of the blue, the volleyball (or rather, deflated soccer ball) crashed into the middle of my face, and I toppled over in surprise.

I felt my lip throbbing, and as I raised two fingers to it, they came back dribbling with blood. A girl with a long, dark brown ponytail helped me up, and I looked over to see Sayae smirking at me.

"Better look out, Yagami," she sneered., "Scrawny little fag-hags usually don't do so well in sports."

I didn't know what to say, and worst of all, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. The brunette girl who had helped me up suddenly spoke.

"Well, brainless snobs usually don't do so well in the real world!"

Sayae blinked. "Standing up for the pancake, Shimane? I'd expect better from you."

"I don't need _you _expecting _anything _of me, Oita," the Shimane girl snarled, and then she escorted me out of the gym, her gray eyes still narrowed.

"You didn't have to do that," I told her seriously, when we were almost to the nurse's office.

"I'm sick of Oita Sayae bossing everyone around," she muttered. "I used to be her best friend, until…" she broke off, and then her eyes softened. "I don't think we've ever talked before. I'm Shimane Hoshi."

"Yagami Hikari," I replied.

"Yes, I've heard Sayae talk about you a lot. I've actually seen you a few times; don't you sit with Motomiya-kun?"

"Yes, he's one of my best friends."

Hoshi sighed, and we sat down outside the office, as the door was closed while the nurse treated another patient. "See, that's probably why Sayae doesn't like you. She's had the biggest crush on Motomiya Daisuke for almost three months. Mind you, that's a while, for Sayae. She sees that you're close to him, and so she automatically assumes you're in her way."

"Hasn't she heard that Daisuke is dating Ichijouji Ken, though?" I asked suspiciously, attempting to protect Ken's love interest.

"Yes, but I'm sure she doesn't care. What Sayae wants, Sayae gets… that's the way it's always been. I hate it. She treats people like garbage."

"There are always going to be people like that in this world," I said softly, remembering something Koushiro said once, "and it takes a powerful individual to stand up to them. You were great back there, by the way."

"Thank you," Hoshi said, smiling faintly, "but now I should be going… I have to move my shoes from my locker, before Sayae puts hair cream in them, or something."

"Does she always do things like that to you?" I had long forgotten that my lip was fat and oozing blood. It wasn't like I was going for an appearance, or anything.

"Oh, always. Ever since I told her I didn't want to be friends anymore."

"Hey," I paused, as she began to walk off. "Would you like to sit with me and my friends today at lunch? We'd love to have you."

Hoshi grinned. "Sure! Thanks, Yagami."

"You can call me Hikari, or Kari, if you like," I said with a smile. "Hika-pika-pie is reserved for my brother, though."

Hoshi laughed. "Alright. I'll see you later, Hikari."

--

"You're friends with _Shimane Hoshi?" _

Takeru, apparently, didn't find this fact all that positive.

"'Keru, she's perfectly alright."

"But she's a cheerleader!"

"So? Your brother was one, too!"

"Augh! Hikari, that was for _three months, _and he only did it because the squad was in desperate need of another boy!"

"He brought home six trophies in those three months, Takeru." I reminded him.

"… It's not my fault Yamato succeeds at practically everything! And we're getting off topic. Why were you talking with Shimane anyway?!"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "She really helped me out when Sayae was being a witch. She's sitting with us at lunch today, so get used to it."

Takeru's round eyes grew even rounder.

"You invited her to sit with us?"

"You're being very overdramatic, 'Keru-"

"But she won't fit in with our group! She-"

"I don't know why this is such a big deal; I was only trying to be nice-"

"Stop interrupting m-"

"No, you s-"

"Quit it-"

"Ta-"

"Hi-"

"UGH!"

We both cried out in frustration at the same time, turning away from each other. Why was Takeru acting like such a control freak? This wasn't the calm, rational Takeru I knew. Something had him acting differently lately, and I was determined to find out what.

"Takeru, have I done something to make you angry?" I asked hesitantly.

He turned back to face me, staring. "What?"

"It just seems that you're awfully short-tempered around me recently. I want to know if it's my fault."

He immediately sobered, reaching out to touch my hand, like he always did when we were kids. "No, Kari, it's nothing you've done, trust me. I'm sorry… it's alright if Hoshi sits with us. I overreacted."

I felt an odd, melancholy stirring in my stomach as Takeru looked down at me from his towering height with such remorse in his wide, blue eyes.

"It's okay, 'Keru-kun… just please, know that you can always tell me what's bothering you." I murmured.

He nodded his head in the way that was oh-so-Takeru, just as Daisuke walked up, grinning toothily and munching on a green apple. It seemed that Daisuke was _always _eating some sort of food, and I had no idea where he got it all from.

"Whasshup, bitches?" he asked through a mouthful of apple, spraying bits all over Takeru and me.

"Aww, _Dai! _You sick freak!" cried Takeru, frantically brushing the mush off his tee shirt. "Do you think we _like _having your half-eaten food all over us?!"

Daisuke snorted, swallowing his mouthful and shaking the apple at the taller boy as if reprimanding him with it. "You need to chill out, TS. I swear, sometimes you're just as feminine as your brother."

"God, what is it with people talking about my brother lately?" exclaimed Takeru, grabbing fistfuls of his thick hair. "I'm _not _Matt!"

"Calm down, Takeru," I said sternly, grabbing his arm. "Nobody said you were Yamato. You're nothing like Yamato; you're Takaishi Takeru, so just take Daisuke's advice, and chill."

Not for the first time that day, he looked immensely changed, and straightened himself. "Again, I'm sorry, Kari-chan… I'm going to get a drink of water. I'll meet you guys in the cafeteria."

When Daisuke and I made it to our table, Iori was there first, as per usual, eating his packed bento lunch.

"Hello, Hikari, Daisuke," he greeted us, inclining his head so his dusty brown bangs dipped in front of his solemn eyes.

"Hey, Iori," I replied, resting for a moment as Daisuke hopped back up to go get a lunch for himself, and one for me. Daisuke is very good at telling when someone doesn't really want to move.

"Is something wrong?" he asked me, concerned.

"A lot of things are weird right now…" I shook my head, and then quickly changed the subject. "Are you excited about going to America in a few weeks, Iori?"

He looked back down at his sandwich, considering his answer.

"To be honest," which he most always was, "I'm not sure. I'm very intrigued at the prospect of visiting another country, as I've never been out of Japan… but I'm worried, because I don't speak very much English, while the rest of you are so good at it..."

I nodded, seeing his dilemma. Takeru, Daisuke, Miyako, and I were average with our English, having never had a chance to try it out for real. I knew that Yamato spoke it perfectly, without even an accent, as he had been there many times. Koushiro, Jyou, and Sora were also relatively fluent. Iori, however, being the semi-recluse that he was, barely knew twenty words, and most of them were food items or curses, taught to him courtesy of Daisuke.

"You'll be fine, Iori," I told him assuredly. "If you have any questions, or I guess if _we _have any questions, because, you know, I've never been there either, we can just ask Yamato, Mimi, or my brother."

Just then, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Miyako had one hand on Ken's shoulder at the opposite end of the cafeteria, and she appeared to be speaking to him roughly. Ken looked rather shaken.

I immediately went to them.

"Because he doesn't even _know _you, Ken! I, on the other…" Miyako broke off as I approached. "Hi, Kari. Could you wait up a minute? I need to talk to Ken here a little more."

I looked at my blue-haired friend curiously, and saw the pleading in his dark eyes. I went back to Miyako.

"Anything you need to say to Ken, you can say to me, Miya. He's my friend too."

She blinked, undaunted. "Okay, then… Kari-chan, you know as well as I do that Daisuke isn't right for Ken. This whole relationship is a big mistake. They just… they're just _not right _for each other. Do you see where I'm coming from?"

I crossed my arms, eyes slanting. "No, Miya-chan, I don't. Why exactly aren't they right for each other?"

She paused, then said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Kari… _surely _you can see why it won't work. You've known how I felt about Ken for ages, Kari. Hell, I'm not afraid to say it; I like you, Ken! And you know as well as I do that you and I would work better than you and Daisuke."

Ken was frozen, so I spoke for him, my agitation with my bespectacled friend growing with every word.

"Miyako, I really don't see why you two would make a better couple."

"Hikari… don't take this the wrong way, but deep down, it's just better for a boy to be with a _girl. _It's more physically, emotionally, and spiritually compatible, as well as being more easily accepted in society… Kari, do you _want _Ken's family to look down on him? I care that much about him, and I want what's best for both of us."

What…?

"So, you're saying," I spoke slowly, "that it's always better for a male to be with a female, no matter the circumstances?"

"Well, I suppose so… Yes."

My heart was beating quicker, as I stared at Miyako. She couldn't know what se was talking about…

"_I… I used to… I used to cut myself, Hikari." _Matt's voice echoed in my mind.

"You're wrong."

Miyako rolled her eyes. "Kari, yeah, yeah, we all know your brother is gay, and we're all happy that he's with Matt, but you and I both know that it would be better if--"

_**It would be better if…**_

SMACK.

At first I wasn't sure what had just happened, until I saw Miyako's head snap back with a red hand-mark imprinted on her cheek, and I heard the cafeteria explode into a silence that nearly suffocated me.

Then I saw that my hand was still raised. I had just slapped my best friend.

OH, MY GOD. I'M UNSTABLE!

Miyako was gaping at me, slowly sinking into the crowd as I felt two pairs of arms grab me and drag me off. Ken's eyes bored into my soul, filled with shock and disbelief.

--

"Hikari! You got in a _fight?"_

I lowered my head, taking off my shoes and dropping my backpack on my way in the door. My mother was livid.

"It wasn't a fight, Mom," I told her, not feeling like another argument. "I got mad and I hit one of my friends."

"Kari, this just isn't like you…" Mom sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"She said something that offended me."

"What did she say?

"She was talking about… homosexuals… and, I dunno, it just riled me up."

Mom looked at me with suddenly-sad eyes. It's scary how much my mother's eyes resemble my own.

"Oh…"

Both of us were quiet. It was well-known how protective the both of us were of Tai and Matt.

"Well… I'm sorry that happened to you, Kari-chan…" Another pause. "I ordered takeout tonight… your favorite."

I smiled weakly. "Thanks, Mommy…"

--

Twenty minutes later found my mother and I curled up on the sofa, _Ju-On _flickering in front of us. I wrapped the blanket tighter around us.

I was filled with a strange sort of sadness… This reminded me of a few years ago, when we would snuggle up and watch movies as a family, with Taichi in the middle, one arm around each of us, laughing at the parts he (and only he) found funny.

Three weeks couldn't possibly pass by quickly enough.

--

The next day at school, Hoshi found me in the hallway.

"Hi, Hikari," she greeted me, and as we walked, we attracted a lot of blank stares. "I couldn't find you yesterday at lunch."

"Oh…" I paused, uncomfortable. "I'm so sorry, Hoshi. I was sent home early yesterday."

"How come?"

"I got in a bit of a… disagreement with my friend, Miyako."

"What happened?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

"Miyako took things a little bit too far when she said she wasn't going to support a gay relationship. It just made me think too much of my brother's boyfriend, and I love him very much."

"Brother's boyfriend? Hey… wait, Yagami Hikari? Like, _Yagami?" _Hoshi snapped her fingers."I knew it! You're Yagami Taichi's little sister, aren't you?"

_Um, duh. _"Yes, I am." I hadn't actually thought there were people unaware of this…

"I've heard Sayae talk about you before. She's just jealous because you're sort of indirectly related to Ishida Yamato."

I snorted. "Takeru is his younger brother. You could always just talk to him."

"Takaishi Takeru bites cheerleaders' heads off," she giggled. "We're all too scared to approach him."

"He's not so bad," I said quietly, doubting myself. "I grew up with Takeru. He's a really wonderful guy, when you know him like I do."

"Hmm… well, we'd better be getting to class, Hikari. By the way," she looked a little bashful. "I was wondering… See, my mom said it would be okay if I had a friend or two over for a little girls' night this Saturday. Would you like to come?"

"Sure I would," I told her without hesitation. "You can email me the details later."

I scribbled my email address on a slip of paper and handed it to her. As Hoshi waved goodbye and headed off to her English class, I caught sight of a pair of slitted, angry amber eyes behind glasses watching me.

Well, fine then. If Miyako was angry that I found new friends, that was her problem.

--

I was beginning to use a new motto: WWTD? What Would Taichi Do?

If Taichi's friend had offended him, he probably would've done more that just slap that person, but then he would've gone back and apologized later.

I didn't feel like apologizing to Miyako. If anything, she should be apologizing to me.

But Ken didn't feel that way.

"It's not her fault," he told me gently, as we sat together on the Pointless Brick Wall, with Ichiro nestled between us. "Miya was raised in a very conservative household. We can't persecute her for her beliefs. That would be completely hypocritical."

"Yeah, well," my speech slowed, as I saw someone familiar across the park. A tall, willowy, redheaded someone.

"Oh, my…" I trailed off. "Is that… Sora?"

Ken blinked. The florist had already caught sight of us.

"Ken! Hikari!" she called out joyously, jogging up to us.

"Hello, Sora," I greeted my older friend. Ken looked wary, as the two of them weren't very close.

"I haven't seen you in _forever, _Kari-chan!" she gushed, her crimson eyes sparkling. "How are things going? How's the gang? How're Tai and Matt?"

"Everything's fine, Sora," I told her, smiling. "You're coming to America in three weeks with us, right?"

She paused. "… America?"

"Yeah, duh, for the televised soccer tournament. You know, the one that Yamato… invited… you… to…"

As my words became jumbled, I felt like slipping away quietly. Ken groaned, and I realized what I had just done.

Sora looked irritated, and with good reason.

"No, Kari, I have no idea what you're talking about. What's this about a soccer tournament that _Yamato invited me to?"  
_  
"Uh…"

Oh, my gosh. WWTD?

--

My fingers twitched uncomfortably as I pressed the speed-dial button on the phone. Ken raised a thin eyebrow at me.

"You shouldn't be so nervous, considering you brought this upon yourself."

"Oh, be quiet."  
_  
"Hello?"_

"Hiya, Matt! How's it hangin'?" I chirped, overenthusiastic times five.

"…_How's what hanging?"_

"Haha, good one, Matt. You're so funny. And kind, and forgiving. It's what I love about you- you would never blow up at someone for potentially screwing up, would you?"

"…_Hikari, what'd you do?"_

"Yeah, see, here's the thing… I ran into Sora today at the park…" I paused.

"_And? You have no idea how much you sound like your brother right now, Kari. Please don't beat around the bush, and just tell me what you did."_

"I sound like my brother on the phone? That's so weird! Because, you know, we sound nothing alike in person, do we? I mean, you would know, considering…"

I could practically hear his impatience on the other end. I quickly dropped the farce.

"So, okay, I ran into Sora, and I let something slip about the championship in New York… funny thing, really, I didn't know she wasn't invited, and I sort of… invited her myself…?" My last words came out as a hesitant question.

Dead silence.

"_YOU __WHAT__?"_

"Matt, don't freak out, please! Y-you know what stress does to your complexion!"

"_Kari, you invited Sora to come with us? No! No, no, no! It took me forever to convince Mimi not to tell her about it! I do NOT want Takenouchi Sora on that plane!"_

"But, Matt, she's Tai's best friend!"

"_I'M Tai's best friend!"_

"No, Matt, you're his _boyfriend. _See, those are two different things. Did Taichi know you didn't plan on informing Sora? Because we both know there was a ticket reserved for her."  
_  
"Well…"_

Why, that sneaky little bishie. He was planning on ditching her this whole time. It's a well-known fact that Yamato has a certain distaste for the florist, but I didn't expect him to sink this low.

"Yamato, if you're still scared about Sora and Tai getting back together, it's time you built your self-esteem back up. It's plain for everyone to see that my brother loves _you_, not Sora. He would never leave you. I know this because I know Taichi better than almost anyone."

"_But Kari, I'm still worried. Sora hates me. She thinks it's __**my **__fault she can't keep a steady relationship."  
_  
(Well, it sort of was.)

"Matt, Sora does not _hate _you. She just needs to get her priorities in order."  
_  
"Fine… I guess she can go with us. Urgh. By the way, would you like to come over again tonight? I just perfected this new recipe for these really light little crepes, and I wanted to try it out. You're welcome to invite some people."_

"Sounds great! How about Takeru, Daisuke, Iori, and Ken?"

"_Cool, I'll… wait, what about your other friend… Inoue Miyako?"_

I frowned deeply. "We're not talking right now."

"_Okay, that's your thing. I won't meddle."_

Another thought suddenly struck me. "Actually, Matt, is it alright if I bring a new friend over? Her name's Shimane Hoshi, and I'm sure she won't be busy tonight."  
_  
"That's fine with me, Kari, it's always good to hear about you making friends with people outside your little "circle." You're so antisocial."_

"I am not antisocial! It's just not exactly my way of life to run around campus writing apocalyptic warnings on walls and cross-dressing daily."  
_  
"Boy, have you been missing out. I'll see you in a little while."_

"Bye, Yamato."

I put the phone away, and looked over at Ken, who was changing Ichiro's diaper.

"I hope you don't mind; I just told Matt you'd be coming over for dinner tonight."

He shrugged. "That's fine. I also heard you say you're inviting Shimane Hoshi over."

"Yeah. She needs more social interaction, since Sayae kicked her out of the "popular" group… Now she can hang with _our _little clique!"

Ken looked at me curiously. "Hey, Kari… what would our clique be called, anyway?"

"I have no idea. The non-conformist clique, maybe?"

"Nah, that's already taken by those five kids with indeterminable genders who always wear black and all listen to the same angry music."

"Ironic, ne? Maybe we're the "single and ready to mingle" group."

Ken laughed. "Not including Daisuke and myself."

"I don't know if you two count or not," I mumbled half-heartedly.

"But Miyako has a boyfriend, too."

"She does?" I asked in surprise. "Who?"

"Some senior who's also named Ken. Not sure how I should feel about that. Anyway, we all know that you and Takeru are eventually going to end up together."

I turned scarlet. "That's not necessarily true, Ken! Takeru's my best friend!"

"So," he sighed, ignoring me. "Now all we have to do is hook Iori up."

I chuckled a little. "You sound just like Daisuke. Maybe your relationship isn't as fake as it's made out to be."

--

**ShadowGirl4ever: Haha, maybe not **_**die, **_**just be put on some serious medication… either that or taken **_**off **_**some serious medication… XD**

**Miss Takin: Thank you! And, of course no one likes to see a sad Ken! ((hugs Ken))**

**Adel: Illiterate crackpot, indeed, teehee. I'm really looking forward to her next review. I'm sure it will bring laughter to my day. **

**Angel of the Night 213: You're a very talented writer. :3 Thank you for reviewing my story! I'll try to keep up with yours as well.**

**They-Call-Me-Orange: D'aww, thanks, Orange. Reviews from you are always nice, and the fav means a lot to me. (throws a brick at Dai for you, then hands him an ice-pack) **

**I LoVe ShInY ThInGz: Wow, so many compliments… I am undeserving! Thank you so much, luvvie! **

**cAnDi-SwEeT aS: Why, yes, I do like rocks. They are quite nifty. Lol, I'm just kidding, you rock too. For realzies.**

**Puffgirl117: Peace right back atcha, buddy, and may the sultry penguins be with you. XD**

**Thank you to anyone I forgot! You guys would get an 'A', but I don't believe in grades.**

**Next chapter: the rather eventful dinner party at Yamato's! Plus, can Hoshi be trusted, or is she just an annoying OFC thrown in for good measure? Find out sooon!**

_**-Beezlee-**_


	4. Motivational Stickers

**Hey, there, I'm back! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up; I was writing it on my aunt's computer and it got lost when I brought it back home. Stupid technology.**

**Lots of angst in this chapter, just so's ya know…**

--

In the Rough

Chapter Four:_ Motivational Stickers_

--

A little-known fact: Ishida Yamato has seven different locks on his door, to keep out paparazzi, as well as rabid fangirls.

Another fact: I happen to have all seven keys.

I walked into the living room, expecting to find Matt preparing for dinner, only to see him emerge from his room in only a pair of boxers, the phone lodged against his ear as he hastily pulled on some jeans and fought to stop giggling.

"I have to go now," he hissed into the telephone. "Your sister's here for… Hang up, your sister's here! Would you just--"

I felt my face flushing, and I think I must've exclaimed something stupid like "Ohthatsokay, Illjustbeinthekitchen, youguyscan… finishupokaybye."

I fled to the kitchen, plopping down on one of the barstools and spinning the little revolving spice rack around with my finger.

Seven years, and yet I was still uncomfortable with anything remotely sexual having to do with my brother.

Yamato entered a few minutes later, buttoning up a white shirt and not embarrassed in the least.

"Okay, cool, let's get started… Do you know when the others are supposed to be here?"

Right on cue, the doorbell rang, and Takeru came in watching me twirl the spice rack around with an amused expression.

"Is oregano really all that entertaining, Kari?"

I smirked. "Yes, actually, though only slightly more so than what was going on when I first got here."

Yamato scowled. "Hey, it's not _my _fault you just barged in unannounced! Geez, you Yagamis are all the same, breaking-and-entering without a second thought…"

"I didn't break in; I have the keys to your front door!" I retorted.

"All seven of them?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

Takeru rolled his eyes, removed his bucket hat, and sat down on the barstool next to mine, twisting the cap around in his hands.

"You sure do like dinner parties, don't you, Matt?" he asked after some time of watching the older blonde rummaging about in his refrigerator.

"'Mato's a people-person," I said primly, now removing a few of the jars of spices from the rack and setting them up in pairs. "He withers and dies if he's on his own for more than an hour or two."

"Ha! As if," scoffed Yamato, turning around with eggs and butter in his arms. "I was the ultra-cool lone wolf in my younger days."

"Yeah, because you were wallowing in depression," Takeru muttered, snickering.

The younger brother then took the jar of saffron and began dancing it around the counter, talking in a bad impression of Yamato's deep, I'm-too-sexy-for-my-shirt voice:

"Gooood, I'm soooo pissed off at Tai… stupid Tai, I'm gonna go play my harmonica and carve our initials into a tree now…"

I giggled uncontrollably, grabbing the jar of nutmeg (now that I can recognize it) and joining him.

"Soccer, soccer, soccer…" I chanted, "Hey, I bet I could fit a soccer ball into my hair!"

Yamato was not amused. He huffed, going to answer the door and letting in Daisuke, Ken, and Iori.

Of course, they found it great fun…

"Prodigious!" cried Daisuke, as Koushiro the Cayenne Pepper. "If only I could get a date to save my life!"

Ken watched, chuckling occasionally, with Iori.

Yamato surprised us all by taking the cinnamon, glaring at it for a moment, and then announcing in falsetto:

"Oh, I'm Takenouchi Sora, and I'm sooo great, 'cuz I'm a tomboy, and I play soccer, just like my darling _Tai-Tai, _so we're just MEANT TO BE TOGETHER, and we'll have lots of loud, annoying, soccer-playing kids while Yamato goes off to rot in his forbidden, homosexual loneliness!"

A very prominent silence followed this, apart from Matt's angry, heavy breathing.

"Dude," Daisuke said quietly.

The doorbell rang, and all turned towards the door at the familiar monophonic tune.

"Come in; it's unlocked," Yamato called.

Hoshi entered, blinking at finding the six of us all gathered around the bar, four of us with a different bottle of seasoning in hand.

"… Did I come at a bad time?" she questioned nervously.

Yamato abandoned the cinnamon and rushed over to shake her hand, remembering his manners.

"No, not at all. Sorry about that. I'm Ishida Yamato, and welcome to my home."

Hoshi was taken aback at the sudden introduction to a celebrity. I really don't know why; pretty much everyone knows that he's my sort-of brother-in-law.

"Oh! Um… h-hello! I'm Shimane Hoshi… Kari's friend. Wow, it's really cool to meet you, Ishida-sama…"

"Call me Matt," he said charmingly.

Damn that man and his ability to make estrogen levels skyrocket.

"O-okay…" She seemed to snap back to reality when she noticed me. "Hi, Kari!"

"Hi, Hoshi-chan!" I replied, grinning. She had dressed up for the evening, in a very pretty skirt and blouse, her hair down and curly.

"Thank you for inviting me over for dinner," she said politely, sitting on my other side and staring curiously at the container of nutmeg I held. "I you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you guys doing?"

"Oh… just goofing off," I said lightly, grabbing the other spices and cramming them back into the rack.

"Watch it! That was a birthday present from Mimi!" Yamato cried, making sure it didn't tumble over.

--

While Matt prepared the crepes he had been bragging about, the six of us younger kids sat in the living room, watching television.

It was currently a commercial break, and Daisuke was suddenly stricken with the desire to speak up.

"Hey, Hoshi." She turned at the sound of her name. "Why aren't you and Sayae friends anymore?"

Hoshi looked down at her feet, very uncomfortable.

"I don't like to talk about it," she mumbled.

Daisuke held his hands up in an unusually apologetic manner.

"That's cool. Just wondering."

We were quiet as we continued to watch whatever depressing war documentary Iori had chosen.

--

Dinner was relatively uneventful. The crepes were, naturally, delicious. Daisuke ate seven. Three of them were originally Takeru's.

When it was time for us to leave (Yamato claimed to be tired, but Takeru and I could both see him repeatedly glance longingly at the phone.), Hoshi turned to me before her mother arrived.

"Thank you again for including me… Kari-chan," she said softly, then pulled me into a tight hug.

I froze for a moment, as that had been rather unexpected, but then hugged Hoshi back.

"No problem," I said lightly. "Any time."

Hoshi smiled at us once more, than left, leaving me to watch her warily.

"She seems rather affectionate," Daisuke noted. "Sure you don't swing the other way, Kars?"

I smacked him on the arm. One stupid person down, a few billion to go.

--

As I entered the kitchen the following morning, my mother was once again trying out her non-existent flair in the kitchen.

"Hikari-chan, would you be a dear and go get the mail for me?" she asked, trying to beat the eggs with a hair comb.

I naturally obliged (If there was another fire, I didn't want to be in the building when it happened.) and pulled my clogs and jacket on.

The weather is so nice in Odaiba in early autumn. I never really mind getting the mail; it's a short walk from the apartment complex to the mail room.

It's my neighbors that I worry about- especially the couple who live directly below us, the Tochigis. The husband is a big, bulky man with a thick handlebar mustache who always carries a newspaper around with him. I don't even know if it's a different newspaper for each day, or if he's been reading the same one forever.

His wife (I believe her name is Nami) is pleasant enough. She wears too much makeup, though. I wonder if she's familiar with Akemi's cousin…

Nami hated my brother when he lived with us. Every morning when I pass by their open door, Nami smiles fondly at me and greets me, then usually follows with some sort of wistful longing for Taichi to have been as well-mannered as I am.

(She's still sore about the time Tai "borrowed" her cat and dressed it up as Superman, then took it trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. Miko was sick that night, you see, and Taichi has this strange anxiety problem where he can't celebrate Halloween without a cat.)

I tapped in the combination to our mailbox and pulled out a few bills, some sort of legal notice (phhf, unimportant), and a letter addressed to me, from New York. Excited, I ripped it open immediately to find two different handwriting styles, one in tiny, neat cursive, the other in large block-letters.

_Hikari-chan,_

_Hi, sweetie! I know we just talked the other day, but I have this darling new pink daisy-print stationary I wanted to try out, and besides, I love talking with you! _

_I bought you a present while I was shopping a few hours ago. I'll give it to you when you get here for the big game. Start saving up to buy souvenirs! I heard a rumor that they'll be selling all sorts of merchandise devoted to each of the players. I'm sure we'll all just look so cute in our matching "Yagami is King" tee shirts! I figured Matty would want a few extras, so I picked out twelve in the __exclusive__ catalogue. Hee, I love being a somebody! _

_Oh, and by the way, enclosed are the super-neat new motivational stickers we got at the studios! I know they'll brighten your day!_

_See you soon, hon! _

_Tachikawa Mimi_

I stopped reading the two-part letter for a moment to pull out the folded sheets of stickers I had received. Each was a brightly-colored rectangle with a smiley-face border and a saying printed in bubbly script. Just a few were "I HAVE A UNIQUE SENSE OF DIRECTION IN MY JOY-FILLED EXISTENCE," "I WEAR A SMILE EVEN IN THE SADDEST TIMES," and my favorite, "HUGS AND LAUGHTER CURE ANY DISEASE!"

I doubted that last one, but it was somehow darkly humorous.

The second part went like this:

**Hika-pika:**

**I haven't spoken to you in a while, sis! Meems tells me that letters are the new emails, and I have never gone against her almighty wisdom before.**

**I'm so excited that you guys can make it for the match! I was worried for a while that Sora-chan couldn't come, but everything is cleared up now. Still can't believe her ticket got lost. Yeah, Yama-chan explained the whole situation to me.**

**Guess what! I have my face on a limited-edition tee shirt! I saw this chick the other day wearing one, and I'll admit, I looked a little odd stretched out across the largest lumps of silicon I have ever seen. But that's not important, because I signed the shirt for her! Pika-pie, I SIGNED MY FIRST AUTOGRAPH! **

**Yama-chan tells me I'm being a nerd, but that's only because he signs a gajillion every day. And he has no right to call me a nerd, considering **_**I'm **_**not the one with a floral tea set. **

**Well, enough about me. I want to hear everything I've missed when you guys get here on the twentieth! It's not that far away, you know! **

**Your fantasmical Oniichan,**

**Taichi **

I showed the letter to Mom. Her smile must've lit up the whole kitchen… even through all the smoke coming from the oven.

Thank heavens I know how to turn the fire alarm off.

--

Apparently, I wasn't the only one to have received Mimi's stickers.

"Check it out!" cried Daisuke, pointing to the cheery label on his forehead. "Mimi says that 'I am a very special human being, with many friends who both accept and support my differences'!"

"Mimi-san didn't say that", Iori said slowly, desperately trying to remove the sticker someone (presumably Dai) had slapped on that unreachable spot between his shoulder blades. "The motivational logo did. Mimi-san probably doesn't even really remember you."

Daisuke simpered, his bottom lip jutting out. "But I got her that lovely Valentine's Day present…"

"The hairpin?" laughed Takeru, his own sticker on his binder ("I ACCEPT LIFE'S CHALLENGES WITH A SONG IN MY HEART"). "You didn't buy that! You dug it out of Sora's garbage!"

"It was a nice hairpin," I assured my saddened friend.

"Yeah, it was," Daisuke sighed, poking at his forehead-label. "Too bad it was the reason Sora dumped Taichi-senpai in the first place."

Takeru raised an eyebrow. "Actually, isn't that a good thing?"

"Yeah," I agreed readily. "If it hadn't been for Tai's inability to purchase gifts, he would probably still be with Sora right now."

"Wait… so I got Mimi-chan a Valentine's present that tampered with destiny?" Daisuke's dark eyes grew wide. "Oh no! What if _she _never finds a steady boyfriend now, because of me?!"

I sighed. "Mimi's never had guy-trouble before, Dai. She practically has suitors lined up outside her house."

"It's because she's a supermodel now," Takeru sighed. "How is it that we have links to all these famous people?"

"I know," I chuckled. "Supermodel, college athlete, glam-rock star, computer genius, doctor…"

"Eventually, one of us is going to end up in prostitution," Takeru laughed loudly, "and I hate to say it, but it's probably going to be Daisuke."

"Hey! Watch that mouth of yours, KB, unless you can use it!" Daisuke snapped. Takeru blushed at the implications behind this, and Ken scowled. "Just wait and see! Someday, when you're living in a cardboard box, I'll be ruling the country with my amazing chain of noodle-carts! Muahahaha!"

Takeru looked fearful for Daisuke's sanity. This, of course, was assuming he had any.

"Dai, you know we all support your lifelong ambition… even though it changes every week… but don't you think you should learn how to cook ramen without damaging to ozone layer, _before _you open up a noodle-cart…?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, TL…"

Takeru sighed, "Listen, Daisuke… the whole "messing up TK on purpose" thing was cute for a while, but now it's just a substitute for lack of a better insult."

Daisuke floundered about for a response. "Yeah, well… you're smelly and gangly and mean. I don't like you at all… TMI."

"Those aren't even initials!"

"STD."

"Shut up."

"RSVP."

"No, seriously… shut up, Daisuke."

--

Daisuke didn't shut up; not for a while, anyways.

And it got him detention during Phys Ed.

"He really crossed the line this time," sighed Takeru, hands behind his neck as we went to pick meet him as he left the principal's office. "Calling the coach a 'fat blubbery mass'."

"That wasn't even _clever," _I muttered, but none of us three could keep a smirk off our faces.

"Are any of-- hold on," Takeru narrowed his eyes as we passed an empty classroom, then he backtracked, peered in the small window, and threw the door open.

My heart stopped. On top of a desk was Daisuke, his hands tightly gripping the small waist of Oita Sayae. Her hands were tangled in his spiky hair as she kissed him passionately.

As soon as we all heard Ken's sharp gasp, Daisuke practically threw the girl off of him, sputtering. "G-guys! It… this isn't…"

"Daisuke!" I wailed. "What the _hell _do you think you're doing?!"

Sayae got off the floor and grinned, brushing her skirt off brusquely.

"Isn't it obvious? Dai-chan here's just been denying what he really wanted, so… I gave him a nudge in the right direction."

"Ken!" Daisuke cried, pushing Sayae out of the way and rushing to grab the bluenette's thin shoulders. "Ken… please listen! This isn't what it looks like! I… I was trying to--"

Ken was completely still, but I could see emotions in his eyes, spilling together like different kinds of oil.

"Ken," Daisuke pleaded, "I don't like Sayae! I don't like her at all, not as a friend, not as _anything!"_

Sayae scoffed haughtily, and brushed past us, muttering furiously. "It didn't _feel _that way to me…"

I think I might have growled at her as she left.

"Davis… _Daisuke," _Ken corrected himself angrily, and I could see the hurt flash across Dai's face like a slap. "I don't know why I even bothered trying to help you. Maybe it was because… because the world would be seeing us as I always did. Maybe I thought you would change. But, as usual, I was incorrect." The venom in his voice was nothing compared to that of his violet eyes, filling with tears of pure hatred. "You were always there for me as a brother, Daisuke. When I was sad, you always made me a little bit happier—no, _as _happy as I could possibly be. But, can't you see, Dai? I can't live with that anymore. I can't survive, watching you give your heart and body to everyone but me…"

Ken inhaled a sharp breath, and let out his final words. "I can't see you anymore, Daisuke- not in a false relationship _or _a real one… I… I love you too much."

Silence reigned, and Ken pushed away the hands on his shoulders, turning to walk away with his head down.

Daisuke didn't make any attempt to follow him. He went to a seat at one of the empty desks and pulled it out, sinking into a hunched-over position. He then looked up at Takeru and me, tears brimming in the chocolate eyes I had once said were very pretty.

"I guess this means I lose the bet," he choked, before dissolving into sobs.

--

Thursday was quiet.

Ken didn't show up for school that day. Nobody had really expected him to.

"I don't know what to say," Hoshi mumbled quietly after I relayed the information to her during PE. "I'm sorry for your friends. Sayae is such a… a…"

I nodded. "No need to continue. There really aren't any words to describe what's she's done. She's completely shredded Ken's heart, and I'm pretty sure she did a good job of fracturing Dai's, too."

Hoshi held the soccer ball we had been tossing back and forth in her hands, biting her lip. She looked up at me with curiosity.

"They were really in love, weren't they?"

"Ken's always loved Daisuke… and now I think that the dimwit has had some sense knocked into him. Don't worry; this will all work out in the end…"

God, I hoped.

--

"Miyako-san still doesn't know anything about Ken and Daisuke," Iori told me in our last period together. "Do you want me to tell her? If not, she's just going to find out eventually…"

"No," I replied immediately. "Please don't. She'll only make things worse."

Iori nodded in understanding. "If that's what you want. You know, Miyako-san is really sad lately. She feels sorry for what she said to you."

"Yeah, well, she should," I muttered. "She knew exactly what she was saying, and how I'd feel about it, yet she didn't stop."

"Could you just _talk _to her?" he tried weakly.

"I'm not making the first move. If Miyako wants to be friends again, she needs to apologize."

I knew she never would. It was just a nice fantasy, seeing my bossiest and most conniving friend sinking down to beg for forgiveness, just so she could once again be friends with the coolest girl in school.

Ha! Wow, maybe too many nights of reading Tai's journal is having an effect on me.

--

Daisuke grabbed me after school, and dragged me to a spot behind the old willow tree. Getting my first good look at his face all day, I noticed that his eyes were hollow and bloodshot, like he hadn't gotten any sleep.

"Hikari, I need Ken," he blurted out, tears forming yet again. "I never realized it before now, but I _need _Ken. I love him, Kari, and now I think I know why Takeru calls me an idiot: because I AM an idiot! I'm a stupid,_ fucking _idiot, and now I've blown any chance I had with the person I know I'm meant to be with!"

I grabbed his arm before he collapsed again, and then roughly sat him down, sitting across from him with a frown.

"It's about time," I snapped.

"Wh-what?"

"Dai, you jerk, Ken's had a thing for you since the first time he ever saw you, but did you ever think twice about his own feelings when there was a prettier face nearby? No! Ken was always second-best to your _current lay!"_

Daisuke let out another sob, burying his face in his hands.

"I _realize _that now, Kari; that's why I need help!" He said shrilly.

"Darn right, you need help," I muttered, but reached over to pet his spiky hair fondly. "You need help more than anyone else I know right now. But maybe, for the moment, we should just let nature run its course…"

"I KNEW IT!"

We both snapped up to see a sneering Miyako, with Iori jogging towards us as fast as his short legs could carry him.

"I _knew _you couldn't do it!" she howled in triumph. "I knew that you and Ken could _never _work out! Do you have your g-string picked out for tomorrow, Dai-_chan, _or do you need my assistance?"

"Leave him alone!" I shouted, rising to my feet and crossing over to my former best friend. "Can't you see he's already hurt enough?"

"Still stuck in Rainbow Land, Hikari?" Miyako snapped. "Why don't you just give up your sick, fangirl fantasies and do what's right for Ken?"

"I _AM _DOING WHAT'S RIGHT FOR KEN!"

I don't think I've ever screamed so loudly in my life. I could feel my nails dig into my palms, and nothing else really mattered at the time, other than the fact that I _hated _Inoue Miyako.

"You're so _selfish, _Miyako!" I ranted. "All you care about is attaching yourself to the best-looking guy available and clinging on for your life, regardless of whether or not they want you! You resort to _threats, _a-and _blackmail, _and I am SICK of being around you!"

My words barely seemed to faze her.

"Fuck you, Hikari," she snarled. She then turned back to Daisuke. "You still lost the bet. If you don't hold up your end of the deal, you'll regret it."

And then she left, and I walked home with Daisuke without another word between us.

--

After dinner that night (burned casserole, but I ate every bite because I love my mother and wanted to hold on to every speck of goodness left in my heart), I found the envelope on the coffee table, addressed to "Aoi and Hikari Yagami" from New York.

I reached inside to pull out the nine airplane tickets. One of them read _Yolei Inoue, _Miyako's more Americanized name. I gritted my teeth, crumpled the stub, and shoved it in my pocket to throw away later.

My next action was to call Ken.

"Please come back to school," I begged as soon as he picked up. "Dai has finally been woken up, Ken, and he knows what he feels for you! _Please _hear him out."

"I… I don't know," my friend stumbled. "I just don't know if I can do this anymore, Hikari-chan; never knowing if I can trust Daisuke, or if he really cares about me…"

"He _does!" _I persisted. "I just talked with him earlier! He's a _wreck _without you, Ken! I know in my heart that you two are meant for each other!"

Ken hung up on me. I dropped the phone in shock, and for a moment my feelings were hurt… before I realized that Ken's must have been hurting a hundred times more.

--

The Friday Morning Announcements are always aired live in the library, with Daisuke and his co-anchor, Akemi.

"Good morning, Odaiba High," Daisuke said in a softer voice than was normal for him. "I'm Motomiya Daisuke."

"And I'm Kanagawa Akemi," said the girl with a confused expression on her face at Daisuke's flattened demeanor.

"Today, guys, before we begin, I have something I need to get off my chest," Daisuke announced, voice suddenly rising. "I need absolutely _everyone _to know this, because I know I can't keep it to myself. Ken…" He stood up, throwing his chair back, "I'm an asshole! I am a stupid, heartless jerk, and I don't deserve you! But I still need to tell you… I LOVE YOU, ICHIJOUJI KEN!"

The entire school silenced, disbelieving. Motomiya Daisuke wasn't finished by a long shot.

"And to Miyako- PUCKER UP AND KISS IT, YOU BITCH!"

With those eloquent words, he leapt up onto the table, and Akemi fell back in shock as Daisuke turned towards the unsteady camera (teachers were moving to restrain him, but it was too late) and dropped his shorts, revealing a skimpy, lace thong. The words "FOREVER PROPERTY OF KEN" were stamped right across his butt in bright, red letters.

No sooner had this atrocity occurred, than the cameras blacked out and the silent seconds dragged on like an eternity.

--

"I don't believe it," Takeru muttered when I found him in the chattering flood of students. "I just don't believe it…"

"Believe it," I replied quietly, seeing a thin, long-haired figure leaning against the wall with his books clutched to his chest. He was attracting quite a few questioning looks from girls (and some guys) around him.

All at once, the hall quieted as a solitary redhead made his way to Ken and stood in front of him, just a little bit shorter.

They looked at each other. And looked. And looked.

And then, nobody was quite sure who moved first, but the two boys were suddenly in a tight embrace, tears running free, and people started cheering wildly.

I was one of them, and after I elbowed him sharply, so was Takeru.

But someone wasn't clapping. Miyako gritted her teeth and fled with a swish of her hair, leaving me with a certain feeling of guilt and pity inside of me.

Yet it vanished as Daisuke's lips met Ken's gently, and they tuned out the rest of the world.

--

"I'm so proud of you," I laughed after school, as the four of us met at the ice-cream parlor. Daisuke was holding Ken's hand for real this time.

"Thanks," mumbled Dai, ordering a sundae to share with Ken. Ken ended up paying.

"Hey, Kari," Takeru prompted hesitantly, "would you like to share an ice cream?"

I blinked in surprise. "Um… sure, TK."

And so we bought a banana split and finished it off together, my heart melting as I watched Daisuke feed Ken a bite of ice cream, while Ken glared and told him to stop being a dork.

I noticed that Takeru was acting shyly as he offered me the last bite. My face flushed and I agreed.

What was there between us? Had I been so busy lately with the love lives of others… that I had been neglecting my own?

--

My head spun as I watched one of my favorite movies that night.

Did I have a crush on Takeru?

It seemed so cliché to me. We had been friends since… um, forever. But as I conjured up an image of his nervous laugh, his windblown hair, those round, innocent blue eyes…

Yes. Perhaps I did.

The thought made my stomach clench. Great, Kari, just great. What a _terrific _time for self-analysis.

What now?

What now, indeed. There was really only one suitable option.

--

"_Helloooo…?"_

"Hi, Mimi," I murmured. "Can you talk for a minute?"

"_Oh, hi, Kari! Of course I can! Did you like the stickers?"_

"Yeah," I smiled, looking over at the one I had stuck on my mirror. "But… I'm sort of in a fix right now… You see…" I took a deep breath. "IjustrealizedafewminutesagothatImightverywellhaveatinylittlecrushonTakeruandIknowit'sstupidbutnowI'mnervousandIreallyneedyouradvice."

Mimi was unnaturally quiet for a few seconds. Then, her shrill squeal might have blown out the systems.

"_EEEEE! Oh, my God, you DO? That's so CUTE! This is almost as cute as the time Tai asked me to approve of the promise ring… Oops, probably shouldn't have brought that up…! So… when's the wedding set for?" _I could almost hear her wink.

"Mimi!" I gasped, eyes widening. "I haven't even _told _him yet, and who knows if I even will?! It could screw up our friendship, and I don't know if I could--"

Mimi sighed despairingly. "_Oh, Hikari, you silly, silly girl. There are a million excuses _not _to do something."_

"Mimi, it isn't all that simple!"

"_Sure it is! Now, listen up: if you two aren't an item by the time you get to America, I'll tan your hide, Hikari. That poor boy has been longing for you since Lord knows how long! Talk to you later!"_

"Wait, Mimi, I--"

_Beep._

I was really starting to get angry with Mimi's bad habit of hanging up on people.

--

**Whoo, drama, drama, drama! And Takari, too! Hope that'll please some of the more Takari-centered fans. (And two 'F'-words in one chapter? Oh my, I'm feeling quite rebellious!) **

_**Replies to Reviewers: **_

**Puffgirl117: Lol, penguin bitch-fight… that's a distinct possibility, as we found out in MotP… **

**cAnDi-SwEet aS: Yeah, Miyako's getting quite bashed, isn't she? Sorry… s'for the plot. I really do like Miyako… but not Yolei. Her dubbed character was mind-numbingly annoying, in my opinion. Thank you so much for the lovely review! Put a smile on my face, it did! **

**Adel: WWTD? Indeed. I need to start printing that on bracelets… Naw, there's happiness for Ken-chan. :-3**

**Miss Takin: Thank you, though my "hyeneeghs" seemed to have confused a few people before they read the chapter, lol. And Hoshi will become a key player soon. I don't really prefer OC's as important characters, but there aren't enough females in the show, so I had to add one to cover the role in my plot... **

**ccc: Heehee, thank you bunches:blush: Such nice reviews. **

**Angel of the Night 213: Wow, thanks for the fave! That really brightened my day.**

**JyouraKoumi: "06 is the start for Koumi Fans to get on da Grind'"? I'm sorry, but what the **_**hell?**_** You say I'm not a true Taito fan because I don't know which pairings the Japanese prefer? Good Lord, please chill out for a second and type like a civilized person. I have this wonky image of you in my brain as a short guy in too much jewelry attempting to flash gang signs… but at the same time, that picture if thrown off by the fact that you're trying to act street while overshipping a **_**DIGIMON PAIRING. **_**Koumi is very nice, but I hate to break it to you, it is only the best pairing as a matter of opinion. Everyone is entitled to their own favorite ship. That's the beauty of being a fan.**

**They-Call-Me-Orange: I just love your reviews. And the "It would be better…" thing was just Hikari thinking. Sorry, I'll go back and fix that later. Thank you!**

**The Digital Gate: Thank you for the review! (Sorry I can't come up with anything more creative…) **

**Sutzina Zion: I can't bear to write a sad Ken… he's too cute. So I made it all better in this update! Yay! (And I love the word "awesomeness", lol.) **

**truely a lost-kitten: Thank you so much for adding the whole "when you can" thing when you said to update. I can't tell you how irritating it gets sometimes when people are like "UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!" You made me smile.**

**And to anyone I might have missed, a big hug and a THANK-YOU! **

**Please, PLEASE review! Free cookies to those who leave nice comments, or advice on how I can improve! **

**TTFN, **

**Beezlee**


	5. The Controversial and the Krunk

**I'm sorry, everyone, but as I'm trying to get this chapter up as soon as possibly, there won't be any replies to reviewers this time! I swear I'll reply to everyone in Chapter Six, but I am really busy today, and I want to get this one up before Monday. **

**GOOD NEWS! I have tickets to **_**Wicked! **_

**BAD NEWS! It's not until April of next year. However, since it's so far away, they're really good seats, for a regular price. **

--

In the Rough

Chapter Five: _The Controversial and the Krunk_

--

I arrived a little late for Hoshi's sleepover on Saturday (my mom wouldn't stop shoving extra toiletries on me, almost to the point where I could've survived in the wilderness for at least a week).

At the front door of her rather large house- this of course coming from a girl who was raised and still lives in a tiny, sandwiched apartment- I was greeted by a middle-aged woman with the same sad, gray eyes as Hoshi.

"Oh!" She smiled. "You're Hoshi's new friend, Yagami Hikari, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am," I replied, bowing politely.

Her smile widened. "Aren't you just the cutest little thing? I'm so glad Hoshi was able to make new friends, after the whole fiasco with that Oita girl…" She cleared her throat. "I'm Shimane Taka, Hoshi's mother."

Well, I had assumed that, but I smiled and walked inside the house as she stepped aside. "Pleased to meet you, Shimane-san…"

Suddenly, a loud thundering noise sounded, as many pairs of feet trampled down the winding staircase.

I recognized Hoshi's voice: "Ran, give me back my diary!"

A little girl of about four or five rushed to hide behind Shimane-san, who rolled her eyes.

"Ran, give the diary back to your sister before she blows a capillary."

I chuckled. Shimane-san almost reminded me of my own mother.

"Hi, Hikari!" Hoshi chirped, waving at me and snatching the pink notebook away from little Ran at the same time.

"Hello," I responded happily. I then noticed that there was not one, but _two _little brunette girls now giggling in conspiracy at the foot of the stairs. I definitely had not noticed that before.

Hoshi noted my confusion and explained, "They're my twin sisters; Ran is the one with the short hair, and Cho has pigtails. They're demon seeds, both of them."

"Hoshi!" snapped their mother. "I do _not _appreciate being called a demon, thank you!"

Hoshi and I both laughed, before she led me up to put my stuff away in her room.

"Your family is really nice," I told her, looking around at the spacious area. Several posters of various pop singers adorned the sea-green walls. It looked like what I had always wanted _my _room to look like. Of course, since we technically didn't own our apartment, I wasn't allowed to make any major changes to my room.

"Thanks," she said absently, pulling a few DVDs out of her closet. "I thought we could just hang out and watch some movies and anime tonight. That okay with you?"

"Sure!" I grinned toothily, knowing that it was a replica of my brother's own grin. We had exactly the same smile, and I know this because when I was ten, we spent, about half an hour in the bathroom, comparing smiles in the mirror.

Hoshi turned around with her anime collection. "My mom ordered out for pizza, so it should be here soon. You like pepperoni?"

"Sure do."

--

After eating pizza and watching_ Mononoke-hime_, we played your basic two-person sleepover games like Truth or Dare. I found out that Hoshi had a minor phobia of grasshoppers. (Useful information to keep, as Tai would say.)

I really was glad Hoshi had invited me over… it was helping me get over the fact that I had lost my best friend because of stupid differences…

--

Sunday was my day with little Ichiro, so I carried him with me to the park, where Daisuke had asked me to meet him.

"Hikari-chan!" he exclaimed brightly when I reached the Pointless Brick Wall. "There you are! Lovely day, doncha think?"

"Yes…" I said slowly. "You seem happy."

"I AM!" he cried, twirling around with his arms out like an airplane. "I don't think I've ever _been _this happy before! And I have you to thank, Hikari-chan!"

"Me?" I asked dumbly, and had to secure Ichiro on my back as Daisuke threw his arms around me.

"Yes, you! If you hadn't turned me down on the offer to be my fake girlfriend, I never would've chosen Ken, and then I never would have gotten to where I am now!"

I smiled. "Glad I could be of assistance. Now, what's all this about, Dai?"

"Weeellll," he giggled. Not chuckled, 'mwahaha'd, or 'mufufu'd, like the Daisuke I knew well. _Giggled. _"I wanted you to help me pick out some… flowers."

"Flowers? You're buying _flowers? _How cute!" I smiled even wider, looping my arm with Dai's, and we set off in the direction of the Takenouchi Flower Shop. "Thank you for choosing me to help."

"Well, it was either you or Takeru," he grimaced comically, "and I don't want the butch meddling in my love life."

"Hey, now," I warned. "Lay off of TK. He's just trying to defend his place as the only straight guy left. It's a tough job, you know."

"Iori's straight," he said flippantly.

"Iori is _innocent," _I corrected, "and rightly so. He's just a freshman."

"Koushiro's straight, too. And Jyou." Daisuke seemed determined to prove me wrong for once.

"Okay, point taken," I laughed as we entered the small, but bright shop.

Sora sat behind the counter, twirling a strand of her red hair and snapping a piece of gum idly. She raised her eyes and grinned when she saw it was us.

"Hey, Kari, Daisuke-kun," she greeted, putting away the magazine she had been reading. "How's it goin'? Can I help you?"

"Dai needs some flowers," I pointed to my friend, who smiled at Sora (at one point he had been quite taken with her).

"Well, you've come to the right place."

We ended up choosing a half-dozen yellow roses (they were really pretty, and Sora even let me have one for free). Daisuke learned that yellow roses symbolized friendship, and he insisted that he wanted Ken to know that no matter what changed, they were still best friends underneath it all. I thought that this was really sweet of him.

As Daisuke scribbled a note into the card, Sora turned to talk to me.

"So," she began quietly. "Have you… have you heard from Mimi-chan lately?"

"Yes," I replied curiously. "In fact, I just spoke with her last night."

"Is she doing okay? Any new boyfriends?"

"Not that I know of."

An inexplicable look of relief washed over Sora's suntanned features.

"Oh, okay." Sora settled back. "I can't wait to see her in America… I hope she hasn't gone and dyed her hair again. It looks best when it's her natural color. Actually, I think it looks nice _any _color, but I…" Sora halted, blushing furiously. "Just forget I said anything."

Something clicked into place, and I smiled. "Don't worry. Mimi-san has very pretty hair. You're right."

"Okay, I'm done!" Daisuke announced proudly, paying for the flowers and handing them to Sora to be wrapped in white tissue.

"I'll see you guys later!" Our older friend walked us out, then returned to her spot at the counter.

I shook my head, smiling. Yamato definitely had nothing to worry about concerning Sora and Tai…

--

"I've got flooowers, oh, I've got flooowers!"

I couldn't help but laugh as Daisuke danced around his kitchen in his cartoon character slippers, tossing the bouquet up and down, almost as if _he _was the one receiving the roses, and not the one giving them.

"Hey, twerp, and friend-of-twerp…" An amused, female voice sounded.

I turned around to see a tall, thin girl with her fluffy, maroon hair down in twin pigtails for the day. Her teasing obviously affected Daisuke, who practically shoved the yellow flowers in his sister's startled face.

"I've got flooowers, they're for my boooyyfriend, and you don't haaaave one, because you're uuugly!"

"Hi, Jun," I piped up as she grabbed her brother in a headlock.

"So, squirt, you've got a boyfriend?" she asked. "Big deal. You get one every other week…"

Jun smiled fondly at Daisuke, ruffling his hair and releasing him.

Daisuke huffed, making sure the flowers were not damaged, before he held his chin up and declared, "Well, not this time, sis. Ken is my one and only."

Jun rolled her eyes, exactly the same dark brown as Dai's. She reached up to pull a strand of hair behind her ear, and that was when I noticed something sparkling on her finger.

"Hey, Jun… that's a very pretty ring…" I said slowly.

"Hmm?" she blinked, then held her hand out for me to see better. "Oh, thank you. Would you believe I actually _found _it? It must be worth--"

"A whole year's savings," I mumbled, grabbing her ring-finger and narrowing my eyes. "Jun-san, if you don't mind my asking, where exactly did you find this?"

"Oh, uh…" She scrunched her nose up. "It was at a Wolves concert. Yeah, I was there with some friends, and we were trying to get through the crowd to wave at Yamato-kun, when out of the blue, some big commotion starts, and I get pushed, and I fall on my butt, and then, out of nowhere, this really pretty ring rolls right into my hand!"

No doubt about it, no matter how impossible it seemed; there weren't very many Teenage Wolves fans who went around with sapphire rings on their fingers.

I tilted my head to look her in the eye. "Jun, I need this back."

"What?" she squawked, snatching her hand back defensively. "No way, Hikari, this is _my _ring!"

"No, it's not," I said calmly. "It's Yamato's."

Her eyes grew large, and she looked down at the ring in a whole new light.

"It… is?"

"Yes. Taichi gave it to him on their anniversary, and he _really _wants it back."

Jun raised an eyebrow at me. "How much?"

"H-how much what?"

"How much are you willing to pay for it?"

"Jun!" I sputtered indignantly, trying to grab the ring (I couldn't, though, as she just held it over my head… Jun is almost six feet tall). "That's _Matt's _ring!Do you _want _your idol to be upset?"

"How can you be sure it's even his? This could be a setup." Her eyes narrowed.

"Look at the inside, then," I said impatiently.

Daisuke moved closer, and all three of us looked curiously. Sure enough, right on the gold, was written in flowing script, _Yamato and Taichi._

"… That could be any Yamato and Taichi," Jun tried weakly, holding the item close to her chest. "And you're not getting this ring for free. Even if it's not the real deal, I can still get a whole lot of money for it on EBay…"

"Jun!" cried Daisuke in horror. "That's low even for you!"

"Forget it," I grumbled, dragging my friend out the front door, leaving a smiling Jun in our wake.

"Where are we going?" asked Daisuke dimly.

"We're going to find the only person your sister will acknowledge."

"… My mom?"

--

"JUN HAS MY RING?!"

"Yeah, and she's holding it hostage!" Daisuke declared.

For once, it was a good thing that Yamato was already in a huffy mood, and Daisuke and I were doing our best to make him even angrier:

"She won't give it back!" I added in overdramatic despair.

"We _tried _to get it for you, but she's, like, really tall and stuff!"

"And now she's gonna sell it on EBay!"

_  
"WHAT?"_

  
With a scream at the injustice of it all, Yamato snatched his leather coat off the rack and stormed out the door, his jaw set furiously. I looked over at Daisuke hesitantly.

"Think we might have overdone it a little?"

We quickly ran after him, jumping into the backseat of his car.

--

"Oh, you're back, twerp. I thought-- YAMATO-KUN!"

Jun's eyes widened at the sudden apparition of her number-one crush right on her doorstep.

"Jun," Yamato began calmly, "I believe you have something that belongs to me."

"Oh, but, I… um…"

"Jun, please give me back my ring." The basic pleading was very obvious in the blonde's voice.

Jun suddenly got a wicked grin, and she put her hands in her pockets.

"I'll give it back to you… for a kiss."

Daisuke let out a snort. I sighed, knowing that this was quite typical of his sister.

Yamato, however, barely hesitated before grabbing Jun by the shoulders and laying an epically deep kiss on her, completely taking her breath away. He then released her, glaring.

"Wow…" she mumbled when it was over, her eyes glazed. "You're… you're a really good kisser, Yamato-kun…"

"Yeah, yeah," Yamato muttered, growing more impatient by the second, "so I've been told. Now can I _please _have the ring back?"

"Oh…" Jun blinked owlishly. "Sure, here; I really didn't want this old thing anyway. It clashes with my complexion."

She handed the small band back to Yamato, who couldn't stifle his cry of joy as he kissed it and then slipped it back on its rightful finger. I smiled, seeing that old happiness back in his bright eyes.

"Thank you, Jun," he said sincerely.

"No," she said with a playful grin as Yamato and I walked back to the car. "Thank _you_, Matt."

--

Things began to pick up a bit around me. An entire week and a half flew by, in which Miyako didn't speak a word to me. I began hanging around Hoshi quite a bit more, and the group really accepted her.

I was very surprised when a game ticket arrived in the mail the Thursday before we left for America over Fall Break, for a "Star Shimane".

There was a note attached:

_Hika-pika-pika-pie (with 50 percent more pika!):_

_Word's gotten to me that you have another friend, name of Hoshi. Well, I pulled a few strings (Coach is a sucker for the ol' Yagami Brown Puppy Eyes), and she's now welcome to come with us, if her parents will let her. _

_p.s. - As you probably noticed, we (meaning Mimi, mostly, who's having fun "Americanizing" everyone's' names) changed Hoshi's name to Star on the tickets. Hope she doesn't mind, as that's the literal English translation._

_Much love,_

_-Oniichan_

I phoned Hoshi up immediately, and she was ecstatic at the chance to go, even if she knew next to nothing about soccer. Her mother was still at work at the time, but she was certain she would be allowed to go.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" she exclaimed breathlessly, and I could almost see her eyes sparkling over the phone. "Your brother is _awesome, _Kari!"

"Yeah," I smiled. "He is."

--

"Hikari…"

I looked up from the Pointless Brick Wall, eyes narrowed as the oh-so-familiar tall form of Inoue Miyako approached me.

"Yes?" I answered flatly, but my heart hammered in my chest.

Thirty seconds must have passed before she stopped rocking back and forth on her heels and blurted out, "I'm sorry."

_That _was a shocker.

I opened my mouth, then snapped it closed again as she rushed me and hugged me tight, clouding my vision with silky, purple hair.

"Kari-chan, I don't even know why I said those things. I'm over Ken; I swear! I just want for us to be friends again… I miss you, Kari-chan."

Suddenly I was overwhelmed with how much I, too, had missed my best friend, and I returned the embrace, grinning and saying, "I forgive you, Miya-chan… I'm sorry I kept the grudge going. That wasn't right of me. I'm so glad you came to apologize."

"It took me a while to work up the nerve," she admitted, pulling away after a long moment, "and, lets face it, it's kinda boring just hanging around with Iori all day."

I rolled my eyes. As we walked together, I made a mental note to go and dig Miyako's ticket out of the garbage…

--

Friday, and everyone was having jittery fits all over the place. Even Iori couldn't keep the huge grin off his face during lunch when Daisuke began ranting about all the super-cool "American" things he had read about.

"And we can go to the movies, and McDonald's, and--"

"Dai," Takeru interrupted skeptically, "we have McDonald's in _Japan."_

Daisuke waggled a finger. "True, but not an _American _McDonald's! And Abercrombie and Fitch, and…"

We were all infected with USA fever. My mother was singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" when I got home that night… albeit, almost incomprehensively, and totally off-key. She gave up after a while, but still bounced around the house.

I decided to throw Tai's journal into my bag too, just so I could tease him about that later.

--

5:00 a.m.

I may be a morning person…

But that is still an ungodly hour to be awake.

My mom shook me awake and left me to dress in the jeans and sweater I had laid out the night before, then grab the backpack I was taking on the plane with me.

Matt had arranged the night before for shuttle vans to pick everyone up and take them to the Tokyo International Airport. When I got there, Daisuke appeared to have passed out from sheer exhaustion in one of the chairs in the terminal, his head resting on Ken's shoulder while the bluenette absently ran his fingers through Dai's fluffy, spiky hair.

Miyako and Iori, surprisingly enough, were knitting a scarf together. I suddenly remembered when the school counselor recommended that Miyako take up a calming hobby. Good advice.

Hoshi was reading a book in the chair next to Ken, and Takeru and Yamato were playing cards. Yamato looked like he was trying _very _hard to keep up his "untouchable Mr. Sexy" demeanor in the all-black "casual elegance" ensemble when I knew very well that he was about to die with anticipation at the thought of seeing Taichi again.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash that came from the public restroom, and a tall, thin man with long hair and nervous, dark eyes darted out, a trail of toilet paper streaming from his left shoe.

"I swear I didn't do anything!" he defended when Yamato raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, actually, all I did was…"

"Jyou," the blonde sighed, "did you try to sanitize the inside of the napkin-dispensers again?"

"Matt, _no one ever cleans _those things! Who knows what kinds of bacteria are--"

"Jyou," someone interrupted humorously. "Calm _down."  
_  
Jyou smiled sheepishly at the short, redheaded man on his laptop I hadn't noticed before. "You tell me that everyday, Izzy. What makes you think I'll start taking you're advice _now?"_

Koushiro smirked at the childish nickname he was stuck with, then returned to his work, his black eyes entirely focused on whatever it was he was doing.

So we were all here, except for one last person. I think Matt must've noticed this too, as he stood and brushed the non-existent dust off his slacks. "If Sora doesn't get here soon, we're just gonna have to go… I mean, the flight leaves in--"

"Thirty minutes," Koushiro interjected, looking at Yamato pointedly. "She has plenty of time."

Right on cue, my senses were jarred with the strong smell of fresh flowers, and next thing I knew, Sora had her arms around me.

"Hi again, Hikari!" The redheaded girl grinned, releasing me and turning to hug the others

She reached Yamato, and hesitated. "Um… hi, Matt…"

"Hello, Sora," he replied amiably enough, inclining his head.

Sora must have taken this as a peace offering, as her whole face lit up and she threw herself at Yamato, kissing his cheek and crying, "Matt, it's been so long since I've talked to you!"

The blonde didn't even move. "Yeah…"

Sora let Yamato go and gathered her luggage up, placing the heaviest on the conveyer belt.

We sat talking for the remaining time, until the ultra-generic female voice announced that Flight 56-D, leaving from Tokyo to New York City, was now boarding.

We were seated three to a row, with me in the middle, Hoshi to my left, and Miyako in the window-seat. In front of us, Takeru sat next to the window with Daisuke on his left and Ken in the aisle seat, and in the row to our right, Jyou and Koushiro had seats next to Iori, and in the row in front of them, a very annoyed-looking Yamato was in-between Sora and a girl who looked around my age, gazing at the singer in awe. I could've sworn I noticed a bit of drool on her chin.

"Good morning, passengers!" the pretty stewardess greeted us, and I could see Takeru and Daisuke sit up a little straighter in front of us, much to my amusement and Ken's obvious irritation. "Welcome to Flight 56-D! My name is Aika, and if you need anything, please feel free to ring for me!"

"I'd ring for _her _any day," Daisuke whispered to Takeru in conspiracy, and both chuckled. However, Daisuke's laughter was cut short as his boyfriend elbowed him sharply.

"Down, boy," Ken snapped.

"Enjoy your flight!" Aika said with a clinically-whitened smile, going back to the front of the plane and leaving Ken to glare at a nervously-giggling Dai.

"Hey, c'mon, Ken-chan," he laughed. "Just kidding… heheh…"

I rolled my eyes and looked back down at the page of the magazine Hoshi and I were reading together.

NEW WOLVES SONG RAISING EYEBROWS?

"Hey, Matt," I called out, and the blonde looked up from his book. "You're in the tabloids… again…"

"Hmm? What's this one about?" He looked up.

"They're saying that that one song of yours, "Please," is controversial."

"Controversial?" Yamato choked. "Since when is love controversial?"

"Well," Koushiro said mildly, and I assumed he had Googled the lyrics when he heard what we were discussing, "I would think that the media draws the line at something like _"Breathing labored, hands on heated skin, no words needed, no--"_

"Those are _beautiful _lyrics that took me _forever _to write!" Yamato defended. "The human sensuality is a very inspirational topic, for your information!"

I ignored the rest of the argument, as Koushiro turned redder and redder while continuing to read the lyrics out loud. I scanned over the rest of the article:

_While the world is beginning to become accustomed to Ishida Yamato-san of the Teenage Wolves and his dry, brash sense of humor, nothing could've prepared today's youth for the newest ballad from the group, called "Please"._

"_My fourteen-year-old daughter used to admire this group!" one outraged mother exclaims. "And I was able to handle that their singer is… well, you know, until they released this _trash_ into our children's hands!" _

_The song is a tribute, yet again, to Ishida's life partner, Yagami Taichi-san, also known as simply Tai, of the NYSW Whitehawks. This time, however, Ishida-san has crossed the line._

_According to the owner of a rival record company, "The Wolves, though mainly through Ishida and his alternative lifestyle, are destroying the next generation. I can still remember a time when music was pure, and innocent… I am saddened by what is called "music" today."_

I couldn't help but snort and hand the article to a Takeru, who had asked to see it.

"So, it's okay to have songs entirely about wild parties and "bitches gettin' krunk", but God forbid anyone write a piece about making love…" I muttered.

I was greatly startled as Daisuke burst out laughing in front of me. "Hikari, please tell me you did not just say 'bitches gettin' krunk'."

I flushed, not really realizing I had said that out loud. "Yeah, well, you should hear some of the rap songs they play on American radio."

"Bitches gettin' krunk… hahaha… I'm never gonna let you live that down…"

"Be quiet," I grumbled, pulling my iPod from my pocket and letting my acoustic girl-pop wash away Daisuke's stupidity.

But where would we all be without it?

--

Thirteen hours of sheer boredom passed us by, as we soon, one by one, began dozing off on the shoulders of our companions. Yamato looked none too pleased as he had his fangirl on one arm, and Sora on the other… but he was soon asleep too.

I was the last one to drift off (except for Koushiro, but no one really expected him to stop typing, anyway). I pulled my earphones out right as Aika announced we would be arriving in New York in five hours…

--

"Hikari… Hikari-chan, wake up…"

I opened my eyes blearily, then closed them against the blazing sunlight outside. Curse the fourteen-hour time difference; it should be nighttime already. I spent a whole day on an airplane.

"C'mon, Kari," Hoshi urged, helping me out of my seat. "We're there."

As we got our stuff and walked off the plane, Aika actually _winked _at Daisuke. Ken growled right back as her, dragging his flabbergasted significant other out the door and into the sunny terminal.

I immediately set about scanning the area for the fluffy head of brown hair I knew so well… but it was nowhere to be seen.

Then I caught sight of a young woman, about Tai and Matt's age, holding up a sign in Japanese script reading "YAMA-CHAN AND CO."

Yamato laughed, waving at her. The girl caught sight of him and grinned, dropping her sign and running towards us. Now that I got a good look at her, I could see the wiry muscles in the woman's arms, and it was obvious she was tougher than she first appeared.

She had a round, pleasant-looking face, suntanned and set with two hazel eyes, her long sheet of dark brown hair back in a braid. If her tattered jeans and stained tee shirt were anything to go by, this woman lived her life a bit freely.

"I'm Ann Hughes," she introduced herself, shaking Yamato's hand. "Tai's really sorry he couldn't make it to the airport to meet you guys here."

At lack of recognition, she added, "We're really good friends. I'm the only girl on the team."

"Oh!" Yamato said suddenly, smiling at her. "Yeah, I think Tai told me about you. Sorry- I'm Yamato Ishida. Call me Matt."

Ann's eyes widened, and she laughed out loud. _"You're _the famous Yama-chan? Wow, I must say this is an honor. Now I see what Tai was talking about when he gushed all day and night about how damn gorgeous you are."

Matt shrugged. "He likes to exaggerate. Um… here," he turned to introduce each of us. "This is Daisuke Motomiya, Ken Ichijouji, Takeru Takaishi- my younger brother; call him TK- Yolei Inoue, Joe Kido, Koushiro Izumi- call him Izzy- Star Shimane, Cody Hida, and Kari Yagami. She's Tai's little sister."

"Hello," I said with a smile, shaking her hand. I felt a little awkward at how it sounded, since my pronunciation was atrocious. Ann didn't seem to mind.

"I wouldn't have recognized you as Tai's sister if Matt hadn't pointed it out," she admitted. "You're really--"

"Different?" I tried not to sound rude as I said this, but it was getting a little old now. I _know _I really don't look or act like Tai. I am fully aware that I am the less desirable of the pair. Sad truth, but I've accepted it.

Ann kept smiling. "Actually… now that I hear you talk, I can definitely recognize it. And I think you might have the same ears."

Same ears? Hooray; I have the famous giant Yagami ears.

I decided to cheer up; I was _not _going to be upset at all during this trip, that was for sure!

As Ann led us to where several taxi cabs would take us to the hotel to meet Taichi after his meeting with the coach, Yamato politely translated for Iori and Hoshi (or, rather, Cody and Star) the whole way.

The hotel was enormous; again, my heard swelled at the thought that my brother had gone through all the trouble to make us comfortable.

And there, sitting on the front steps and grinning enormously as he waved at us in baggy cargos and a black tee shirt, was Yagami Taichi.

--

**Not quite a cliffie, but still. This is actually more of a filler chapter than anything.**

**Ja,**

**Beezlee**


	6. Pink is the New Blue

**Not much to say. Hope you enjoy the chapter! Replies are at the bottom, as per usual.**

--

In the Rough

Chapter Six: _Pink is the New Blue_

--

Believe me; I would love nothing better than to tell you that the moment the taxi cabs pulled up, everything was magical and full of love and wonder…

But I'm not Mimi, so I'm not going to sugar-coat it. What happened was this:

The first cab, holding Hoshi, Miyako, and I, rolled up, and Taichi waved to us. Then, apparently, a scuffle broke out in the cab behind us, as Daisuke and Yamato both desperately wanted to see Tai (different reasons, of course). The door was flung open, and out came Takeru, his elbow slamming against the pavement with a sickening "crunch". His yelp of pain cut through my ears, and Taichi was with us in a second, ordering the cabby to take Takeru to a hospital immediately.

As his brother, it was Yamato who volunteered to take him. For a fleeting moment I was jealous, imagining how utterly romantic it would be if I rode with TK and held his hand, reassuring him…

Then reality hit me, and I remembered dumbly that one: I was a minor, and I couldn't ride in the cab without one of the older kids anyway, and two: my English was terrible. It was better if Matt went with him.

But what happened next melted my heart. Yamato started to get into the car with Takeru, when Tai leapt forward and grabbed Yamato's upper arm, steadying him. He pressed his lips to Yamato's and squeezed his arm gently, then let him go.

The cab swerved off in the direction of the hospital. A few moments of silence dragged on, before Taichi snatched me up in a bear-hug and fluffed my hair.

"Pika-pie!" I would never get used to his voice being that deep. I was mentally holding on to gangly, awkward, pre-pubescent Taichi.

"Oniichan," I hissed playfully, swatting his hand away from my head, but returning the hug tightly. "You think I want hair like yours?"

"'Course you do. It drives the ladies wild. And Yama-chan."

"I don't _want _to drive the ladies wild," I muttered as he released me, then paused. "Or Matt."

Daisuke piped up from behind me, "You drove Yamato pretty wild with that kiss, Taichi-senpai! Did you see the look on his face?"

Now, most normal men would've shrugged this comment off modestly, or perhaps have been a little embarrassed at Dai's boldness…

But Tai was not normal, as all of you know by now.

"Hell yeah I did! You gotta keep 'em wanting more, little man! Took me years to learn, I'll have you know!"

"Wow! Will you teach me that, Taichi-senpai?!"

"Of course I will! The world had better watch out for two sexy romantics such as us!"

Both fluffy-haired boys roared with laughter. I really didn't see what was so funny. Ken actually looked uncomfortable.

"So!" Taichi clapped his hands together, eyes sparkling mischievously. "Who wants a hamburger?"

--

I have no idea how Taichi managed to make everyone feel so at home in the midst of Takeru breaking a major bone, but he did it. He and Ann sat there, swigging 7-Up like no tomorrow while the rest of us sampled the greasy slabs of meat Tai called "hamburgers."

"So… Tai-kun," Sora spoke after gratefully finishing her burger, "anything new since the last time I saw you?"

I noticed with mild interest that Sora used "I" instead of "we."

Taichi tilted his head to one side, abandoning his third try at translating a hilarious joke from Japanese into English. (It wasn't working, needless to say.)

"Oh, not much. Annie here has done a pretty good job at being my partner-in-crime, but I don't think she could ever fill your shoes."

Sora blushed slightly, looking down at her empty plate.

"Sora…-san," Ann commented in very faulty Japanese, "your eyes… are a very pretty color."

"Oh," Sora blinked. "Well, thank you very much. I was just admiring your necklace. Where did you get it?"

"This?" Ann glanced down at the butterfly pendant. "At a little jewelry store in Manhattan."

The two quickly switched to English when Ann discovered Sora was more adept at it than she was at Japanese. While they chattered about some sort of reality show they found they had in common, Taichi looked to Koushiro.

"So, Izzy, how's life in cyberspace?"

"Fair enough." Koushiro looked surprised that someone was conversing directly with him for once. "I recently compiled a rather interesting collection of data concerning advances in the stock market."

Taichi stared. "Okay, I understood the last part about the stock market… so I'm gonna say "cool"!"

Koushiro rolled his eyes. "I could ramble on forever about nothing, then suddenly insert the word "soccer", and you'd jump up with boundless enthusiasm, I'd bet."

Both Tai and Daisuke, who had been flicking a quarter back and forth, quickly turned to the genius.

"What was that about soccer?!"

--

We got a call from Yamato while hanging around in the hotel lobby. Takeru had, as Jyou had surmised, broken his radius. Daisuke was a bit confused at first.

"But I always though a radius was half the diameter of a circle!" he cried. "Aww, man, just when I thought I was doing so _good _in math!"

"You're not alone, buddy," Tai muttered.

Visiting hours were already over for the day, so Yamato was on his way back to the hotel.

"Taichi, sweetie," my mom crooned, delighted to see her son again, but concerned as to why he was rifling through a bag he had packed to stay the night at the hotel with us, "what are you looking for?"

"Oh… um… nothing much…"

"Do you need help?"

"NO!"

My mother looked rather startled, but Tai recovered quickly. "Aha, no, Mom, it's fine- nothing important. In fact, you should probably be getting back to your room soon, yes siree, that sounds like a good idea!"

"B-but, Tai," Mom protested as Taichi all but shoved her out the door. "We've barely gotten to talk with you!"

Tai paused, then got her out in one final push. "No worries, Mom; I'll see you tomorrow! Right now, though, I've gotta get ready!"

Mom raised an eyebrow. "Get ready for what, pray tell?"

Taichi paled considerably. "Um… did I say "get ready"? I meant ready for bed, is all… gotta get a good night's sleep for the big game!"

Our mother was not convinced.

"Tai…" she said warningly, beginning to raise her finger to wag it in my brother's direction.

"Ah! No, Mom, not the finger! I'm being serious; it takes a while to get ready for bed, and I'll need privacy!"

I burst out laughing at the double meaning of this, which quickly died down into quiet snorts as I caught Tai's venomous glare and our mother's surprised look.

"Well, if you're sure…" Mom trailed off, and suddenly I yelped as Tai shoved me out right after her.

"Of course I'm sure! G'night, now!"

"Oniichan," I hissed as soon as she was out of hearing range. "What exactly are you planning…?"

He winked at me in conspiracy. "Don't come down this way anytime soon, Hika-chan. You might set off one of the tripwires."

"… Tripwires?"

"Yeah. They trigger the massive amounts of chocolate whipping cream to fall from the ceiling. Mind you, it took me a while to convince the hotel manager, but…" he paused. "You didn't just hear that."

"Like I wanted to," I couldn't help but mutter, extremely bothered by the thought of my brother covered in chocolate whipping cream.

"Goodnight, Hikari."

"Goodnight, Taichi."

--

Since I had been woken up so early the previous day, and we didn't have to leave the hotel until about nine to pick Takeru up from the hospital, I had rather expected to sleep until eight.

However, I now know not to underestimate the combined hyperactivity of Taichi and Daisuke.

"HIKARI-CHAN! HIKARI-CHAN, WAKE UP!"

I think I might have screamed. Tai and Daisuke had bounded into my room (could have sworn I locked the door…) and flopped onto my bed, bouncing up and down with enough inertia to knock me back.

My head hit the wall. It hurt.

"Ugh… guys, what time is it?" I limply reached for the clock on my bedside table.

"It's almost six, Hika-pika!"

"That's later that five!"

"Ahaha, right you are, Dai!"

"Wee!"

I groaned, trying to pull the pillow back over my head, but it was promptly yanked away, by my brother or my friend, I couldn't tell.

"Okay, I'm up, I'm up!" I yelled. "Geez… no more sugar for you two…"

"No worries, Hika! I had more than enough last night! HAHA!"

"Oh, I get it! Hahahaha! That's so funny, Taichi-senpai!"

I groaned. "Yet again, Tai- too much information…"

"GET UP, HIKARI, YOU LAZY BUM!"

I was spared for the moment, as Sora, Jyou, and Koushiro passed by the open door, and called out that they were headed down for the continental breakfast.

At the mention of food, both boys flew from my room after the others, laughing and trying to knock each other down. After realizing they shared the trait of being a human Weeble, they began trying to knock Koushiro down. It worked a little too well, and there went Koushiro, toppling down the winding staircase with a shout of indignation.

"You guys!" wailed Sora, chasing after the computer genius. "We don't need any more broken bones!"

--

We had already eaten our fill by the time Yamato was ready to join us.

Now, when I say "ready," I mean that he still had a horrible limp, and the copious amounts of concealer on his neck were visible, even to the untrained eye.

"You're such a whore," Sora muttered, rolling her eyes humorously. It was obviously a joke, but since Yamato was already in a sour mood, it was the worst thing to do.

"What did you just call me?" he hissed.

"Calm down, Yama," hushed Taichi, frowning at the pair. "She was kidding."

"Really? Because I've never known Sora to kid, Tai. So, go ahead, Sora; say what you really want to say to me. God knows I have a few things to say to you."

The silence stretched on. The only noise was Daisuke noisily guzzling his orange juice, and he seemed to be the only one who hadn't noticed the tension.

"Matt…" Sora said hesitantly.

"Excuse me!"

All turned. A pair of young boys, probably around twelve, had appeared, grinning widely. The left one held a pen and notebook in shaking hands.

"You're Tai Yagami, right?"

"That's me," my brother supplied with a smile.

"Can we have you autograph? We're going to see your game today!"

Taichi's smile grew even wider than the boys', and he nearly snatched the writing utensils away gleefully.

"Who am I making this thing out to?" He asked, signing his name with a flourish.

"I'm Todd," he supplied, "and this is my brother, Jack."

"Todd… and… Jack. Got it."

"And… um," the one named Jack looked a little embarrassed. "Can he sign too?" He pointed at Matt. "My older sister is too shy to come over here, but she's a big fan."

Taichi glanced over at his boyfriend, who blinked.

"Sure he will. Oi, Yama! Fangirl alert!"

Yamato gave Tai a discouraging look, then smiled his gorgeous smile and wrote his name down, the flowing cursive looking very odd with Taichi's messy version.

"Here you go."

"Thanks!" Todd beamed.

The two then scurried back to their table, where Jack handed the piece of paper with Matt's signature to a teenage girl. She squealed with delight and hugged the autograph, which made Taichi laugh out loud.

"Shut up. I can't wait until _you _start getting swarmed by adolescent girls three times a day."

"Aww, Yama-chan, you know you're jealous."

"In case you didn't notice, Tai, they wanted _my _autograph too."

"Yeah, whatever..." my brother grunted.

"Whatever yourself!" Yamato snapped, but he was smiling.

"At least running from all those fangirls might give you a bit of a workout, Mister Flabby-Abs."

GASP!

"_What! _You're calling _me _fat?"

"Well, I suppose we can't _all _have my hot bod."

"Oh, you wish, Yagami. I'm not the one who can veg out on a sofa for three days with nothing but a bag of Fritos, and still be loaded with energy."

"Flabby-Abs, Flabby-Abs!"

"Shut up, you walking shrub!"

My eyes met Ken's, and I could see he was suppressing a chuckle at their antics. I was used to it by now, so I simply followed as Sora quietly led us out of the building.

"We'll just let them work this thing out…" she mumbled.

The last thing I heard before we were in the cabs was Yamato's horrified wail of "I do NOT have bad cuticles!"

--

"The food sucks, the bed sucks, the television sucks, and you guys suck."

"Why, thank you, Takeru," Ken said dryly. "We love you too."

The blonde sat quite unhappily, propped up on a multitude of fluffy pillows. A half-empty juice box was held in his good hand, while the broken one hung in a sling.

"But you suck most of all, Daisuke. You're the whole reason I'm stuck in this stupid place!"

"I only wanted to say hello to Taichi-senpai!" the redhead defended hotly.

"So you tried to get there before Matt?! Are you _that _much of an idiot?!"

The two of them began bickering, until their argument began to sound eerily similar to the one we had just left.

Ken leaned over and whispered to me, "I sure hope those two aren't going to end their arguments the way Yamato and Taichi do."

--

After the doctors allowed us to remove Takeru from their care, it was nearly nine 'o clock. We met with Tai and Matt (once again holding hands, fighting forgotten for the time being) at the bus station. From there we were headed to Mimi's house.

"Now, before we get there," Taichi informed us in the back of the bus, "there are a few rules. One: do not attempt to rearrange anything in Mimi's living room. That girl has the strangest little figurines, but if you touch one, she will know. Trust me on this. Rule Number Two," he held up two fingers to illustrate, for those of us who couldn't count that high, "is no running, because you _will _crash into something. You might not see the Roman columns or strategically-placed bookshelves, but they are there."

We stared, but Tai didn't seem to notice.

"Rule Three: no displays of affection. Not because it offends Mimi- on the contrary, she will immediately rush the scene with a digital camera. It overexcites her, and that is not a good thing."

"Anything else?" Koushiro asked dryly.

Taichi pondered. "No, I don't think so. Yama-chan?"

"That's about it."

My brother grinned. "And here we are."

I looked out the window. Before us was the biggest, pinkest house I had ever seen. And watering her flower garden out front, humming to herself and pausing to brush dirt off of her pretty sundress, was Tachikawa Mimi.

--

As we stepped off the bus at the street-corner, Mimi looked up, and her whole face brightened. Her hair was its natural chestnut color, and was piled on top of her head stylishly.

"Tai! Sora-chan! MATTY, IT'S YOU!"

Her watering can was thrown aside, and Mimi flew to Yamato, knocking him back in the most forceful glomp I had ever seen.

"Matty! I haven't seen you in years, and you still look amazing! Your hair's so soft! I'm jealous. Hmph."

Yamato managed to gasp, "Hello, Mimi," through the model's chokehold. Tai and Sora were snickering on the side, until Mimi finally released the blonde and turned to the rest of us (though she was still clinging to his arm affectionately.)

"Sora-chan! Goodness, when was the last time we talked in person? Your hair is shorter than I remember."

Sora subconsciously reached up to finger one strand of her cinnamon hair, blushing slightly.

"Yeah. I got it cut back when the weather was hotter."

"It's a good look for you," Mimi decided.

A few seconds passed before Mimi ripped herself from Matt in order to hug Sora tightly.

"I missed you," she mumbled, though Sora was too red to say anything back.

After greeting the rest of us, and giving Takeru and me a conspiring wink (I glared, but I don't think TK noticed), Mimi opened her silk-clad arms in a wide flourish.

"Well, everyone, welcome to _casa de Mimi! _I hope it's not too…"

"Pink?" Jyou supplied.

Mimi gazed at the doctor dryly. "Sure, sure… well, come on in!"

It wasn't quite as pink on the inside as I had imagined, but Tai was right about the figurines. Hundreds of Precious Moments lines every available surface.

Daisuke seemed to be under the delusion that they were action figures, and he had been about to attack Takeru with the Precious Moments "Fishing with my Grandpa" figure, before Tai snatched it away and shook his head at his young counterpart.

"So," Mimi told us after giving the tour, "I'm gonna go make a snack, if Matty will come and help me. I miss how the two of us used to bake together all the time…"

She sighed wistfully, beckoning the singer after her.

The two of them went to the kitchen, while the rest of us sat around on plush loveseats, taking in our surroundings.

"So," Tai directed at Hoshi, and she looked up. "How long have you and Hika-pika been friends?"

Hoshi thought for a moment. "Not long at all. She was in my PE class, but we've never really talked before."

"Ah. Hika's not much of a social butterfly, after all…"

_  
"Tai," _I hissed, "why do you have to criticize me for it? I'm just a little bit quieter than you are."

"Yeah, but not--"

BOOM.

An enormous cloud of floury smoke puffed out from the crack beneath the kitchen door, and we all listened quietly to the raucous coughing and screaming.

"Ach… MIMI, I said TWO cups of flour! How many did you put in there?!"

"Two, just like you said!"

"What the… you used FIVE cups of flour, Mimi, not TWO!"

"Two, five, what's the difference?"

"… The difference is THREE CUPS!"

"WELL, SOR-_RY!"_

The door swung open, and amidst another white dust cloud, out stumbled Mimi and Yamato, covered from head to toe in flour.

"I can't BELIEVE this!" Matt wailed once he got a good look at himself in the hall mirror. "Dammit, Mimi, I can't go out looking like this!"

"You think I'm any happier about it?" she cried in exasperation. "We have enough time to take showers before the match, so calm down, Matty."

Yamato continued to grumble as Mimi showed him the way to the guest bathroom, then grumbled even more when Taichi tried to sneak in with him.

The whole house heard the furious shout of "You're gonna make me late again, Tai! Get OUT!"

A very sullen Taichi stomped back into the living room and collapsed onto the sofa.

"I wasn't even three steps into the bathroom before he booted me out," he complained. "It's like he's got… _Taidar, _or something!"

"Taidar?" Koushiro asked, amused.

"Yes. It's a word now, because I say it is."

For those interested, other words Taichi claims to exist include 'un-eatable,' 'de-walking,' and 'sexalicious.'

Mimi was out of her own shower not even fifteen minutes later, primped and pretty as usual. After another half-hour, we began to worry.

"Matty?" Mimi called out, nervously rapping her knuckles on the whitewashed door. "Are… are you okay?"

"DON'T COME IN HERE!"

Mimi hopped back, startled as the rest of us.

"… Matty?"

"MIMI, WHAT THE _HELL _WAS IN YOUR SHAMPOO?!"

"My… shampoo?" Mimi blinked, then gasped, raising a hand to her mouth. "Matt, which shampoo did you use exactly?"

"… It's a pink bottle!"

Mimi looked torn between crying and giggling madly.

"Um… are you sure it was a pink bottle?"

"YES, I AM QUITE SURE!"

"… Matty, that wasn't shampoo… that was _hair-dye…" _

The door swung open, and there was an audible intake of breath.

Standing in a loosely-wrapped towel, steam billowing out from either side, there stood Ishida Yamato, both his face and his hair an electric bubblegum-pink.

--

"Now, Matty," Mimi attempted to calm her friend, who sat quivering in his best "sexy/casual" clothes, grasping at handfuls of his neon hair miserably, "it… it really isn't that bad… pink is the new blue, after all…"

"PINK is the new BLUE?!"

"Shhh, chill, Yama," Tai murmured comfortingly, collapsing next to his boyfriend and wrapping a comforting arm about his shoulders. "It's not the end of the world."

"Yes… it is."

"No, it's not." Tai insisted.

"_Yes… _it _is." _

"No, it's not."

"Taichi, shut up before I hurt you."

My brother quietly slunk away, and Jyou sighed and glanced at the clock.

"We'd better get going. We're already late for the pre-game show as it is."

"Shit!" Taichi cried, grabbing his gym bag and giving Matt a quick peck on the cheek. "I gotta go. Ann's gonna be soooo mad…"

As Tai flew out the door towards the waiting cab, Yamato let out another wail of despair.

"How the hell does he expect me to show my face in public with PINK hair?!"

Mimi frowned. "Hey, I did it for a whole year. Pink hair is very hip."

"I don't WANT to be hip! I just want to avoid being publicly flogged!"

Daisuke looked rather dumbfounded. "Publicly flogged? For looking bad?"

"Oh, yes," Yamato grumbled. "One time at a mall, I was wearing white after Labor Day, and a crazy fan actually screamed that I had "let her down," and then she kicked me in the groin."

Takeru snorted. "Must've taken her a while to _find _it…"

He immediately had an embroidered pillow chunked at his head.

"NOT HELPING, TK."

"We really do need to get going," Miyako interrupted, and we quickly followed her words. Yamato slunk after us moodily, and attempted to steal Takeru's floppy bucket-hat several times.

"Please, TK, just let me wear it this once!"

"No! It's _my _hat!"

"BUT I _BOUGHT _IT FOR YOU!" Matt wailed, nearing desperation. "Takeru, I'll give you fifty bucks if you let me wear that stupid hat!"

"… _Stupid? _Just for that, NO!"

"Fifty dollars, TK. Think of how many yen that is. You could buy a _better _hat with that!"

"Get off me, Yamato!"

The two fought the whole cab ride there. And I had to sit with him.

--

We arrived at the stadium shortly, after spending quite some time at the snack bar. (Iori wanted a Coca Cola, and Miyako wanted nachos. Daisuke wanted nachos too… wait, no he wanted a corndog. No, no, he wanted ice cream. No, wait, wait, no, he wanted a slushie. No, wait…)

Finally, we found our seats as whoever-it-was had finished singing the national anthem.

She then left the field, just as the announcer's voice boomed across the stadium. We had to restrain Daisuke from jumping out of his seat, as at first, he was thoroughly convinced it was Jesus.

"_Goooood afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!" _

"And Yamato!" we hollered hollered over the noise of the crowd, as was our tradition. He rolled his eyes, used to it by now.

"_Aaaaand welcome to the New York National Chaaaampionshiiiips!"_

The crowd chanted and cried with a frenzied excitement, banners for both sides waving in the air. I could see one or two with a familiar face from Tai's team painted on sloppily.

"_We are prrooooud to welcome, all the way from south of the border, the San Cristobal Hurricanes!"_

The cheering was so loud I think I temporarily lost the ability of my ears. When I regained it, I could hear the older kids booing enthusiastically.

"_Aaaaand of course, the undefeated hometown team, with quite a few up-and-coming players from across the globe this year, it's our own New York State West __Whitehawks!" _

Okay, now I was deafened, particularly by the screaming contest Matt and Mimi seemed to be having on my left. As the side door of the stadium swung open, the cheering grew louder.

The entire Whitehawks team rushed the field, clapping, hooting, and pumping their fists to raise morale. Taichi ran out with the last few players, blowing kisses enthusiastically.

The crowd laughed expecting this sort of oddity from America's most offbeat athlete.

"You go, Tai!" Yamato and the girls screamed shrilly right next to me, and I could see Matt's eyes sparkling with joy.

"There they are, folks, the New York Whitehawks, led by captain Shane Harris, although by far the player receiving the limelight at the moment is the transfer from Japan who is quickly rising, Tai Yagami!"

In response to the crowd's roar of approval, Taichi turned a few more cartwheels, flashing the victory sign at the cameras, so the whole stadium saw his self-assured grin on the widescreen.

"That's my baby!" I heard Yamato crying next to me, pumping a fist into the air and laughing with his unbridled happiness. "That's my Tai-koi down there!"

"Aaaaand the starters have lined up on the field… the ball is placed…"

The stands were eerily silent now, as if a giant beast had been sedated for the moment. I noticed with a start that I had been holding my breath.

"Hurricane Juan Gutierrez takes the starting kick… AND THE GAME BEGINS!"

--

_**Replies to Reviewers: **_

**Loodhuizen Inc.- Why, if it isn't Miss Emily, back from rehab. XD Yay for reviewing. **

**Musetta's Waltz- GELPHIE GELPHIE GELPHIE WHOO! Ahem. Why, yes, I do like Gelphie. :-D And I'm uber psyched about your Gravi-style fic. Gravitation is God's gift to fangirls. I wish I had a Ryuichi of my very own… (sigh)**

**Yumi-Ulrich4ever- I love Mira. :3 And sorry for lack of Yama-glomping. Weee… thank you so much for the review! **

**Angel Born of Darkness- Well, there's Tai… and soccer… just not together yet. ;-) And I do so care about Sora… she's just not that high on my list of priorities… (pokes Sora and laughs) **

**truely a lost-kitten- Thank you! (hands out waffle) Reviews mean the world to me.**

**yamato-taichi-4ever- (glompity-glomp-glomp) Aww, thank you! And it's so great that you joined the site! Welcome, fellow Taito-worshipper! **

**Sutzina Zion- I love your reviews. (big hug) You have such an elegant way of complimenting people :-) **

**Jillie062- Thank you for taking the time to review my story. And your opinion means a lot to me; I completely agree that if every character is in a homosexual relationship, it is very unrealistic. However, I definitely am not intending on making every last couple slash. I'm actually trying to keep a nice yaoi/yuri/het balance. Again, thank you for the compliments! **

**tineryn- (biiig hug) Thank you! I apologize for neglecting this story. I'll try harder! **

**Tresa Cho- Eeee! Thankies! If my stories make people happy, then I have served my purpose. ;-P I'm so glad you liked it! **

**Diamond Angel- Thank you for the compliments! And, oh, lordie, my grammar… I can't impress how many times my English teacher has gotten on to me about the "comma before quotation" thing… it's such a bad habit. I think it's a bit too late to go back and change this story now, as it would take quite a while, but as soon as I finish, I'll go back and change it. Thanks for taking the time to comment!**

**ccc- I know; Tai is the epitome of awesome. Thank you for reviewing; I'm so nervous about bad reviews! It means so much when people give me compliments. **

**The Digital Gate- Thank you! I love it when people go through and comment on individual sections of a chapter.:3 **

**sugarhighnutjob- Thank you for the lovely review :-D I'm glad so many people think I've made Kari-chan likeable. I really enjoy writing in her POV.**

**And now it's time for… (drumroll)**

_**JyouraKoumi's Reply Section! **_

**Ahem. Last chapter's review from JyouraKoumi was this (copy/pasted): **

"**Never give propz to tha DeviL! Makes sence rite.."**

**Well, JyouraKoumi, I appreciate your concern for my wellbeing, but I am not "giving props to the devil". Honestly, I'm Christian, and would rather not become involved in any satanic worship. **

**And, no, actually, it doesn't make… "sence"… but I still am thankful for your contribution to my cause. Every comment you leave tacks on another review! **

**--**

**I'm actually beginning to feel that the interactions between Tai and Dai are quite similar to that of Rock Lee and Gai-sensei… I dunno; you tell me.**

**Also- I realize that there is no such thing as the New York State West Whitehawks, or the San Cristobal Hurricanes. I made them up for the story, so no hating on me, please.**

**-Beezlee-**


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